Senate body condemns Gojra incident.

ISLAMABAD, August 18, 2009 (Balochistan Times): The Senate Standing Committee on Minorities Affairs has strongly condemned the Gojra incident and has demanded of the government to conduct a thorough probe to unearth those who murdered the innocent people and created panic in the society. The Committee expressed its grief and sorrow over the tragedy and sympathized with the victim families. The Committee which was presided over by Senator Muhammad Saleh Shah expressed these views while discussing the overall working and performance of the Minorities Affairs Ministry with special reference to the initiatives being taken to solve the problems of the minorities and to bring inter-faith harmony in the country. Members of the Committee observed that adequate steps were required to promote religious harmony and tolerance with a view to ensure protection of the rights of the minorities. They also stressed for early redressal of grievances of members of minorities and called for abolishing discriminatory practices towards minorities to bring them into the mainstream of national development process. The Committee appreciated the efforts of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for improving the management of Evacuee Trust Properties and for making efforts in the limited resources to ensure maximum facilities for Hindu and Sikh Yatries. The Committee underscored the need for ensuring transparency in the management of the properties and computerization of the record. Earlier, Chairman ETPB informed the Committee that all out efforts are being made to bring improvement in the management of the Trust properties. He said that various development schemes have been initiated for the uplift of the minorities. Secretary, Mr. Abdul Ghaffar Soomro also informed the Committee about the functioning of the minorities Ministry. Minister for Minorities Affairs, Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti in a statement said that there is no room for violence in any religion, however, some forces want to create a panic like situation in Pakistan. He urged the people to show unity in their ranks so that such forces may not succeed in their designs. He said that a judicial commission has been constituted to probe Gojra incident and rehabilitation work has been started to provide relief to the victims. The meeting was attended among other by Senators Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, Mohammad Zahid Khan, Dr. Abdul Khaliq Pirzada, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Muhammad Ali Durrani and Mst. Afia Zia.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)