Islamabad (Web Desk): The Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) on Tuesday approved the National Commission for Minorities Rights Bill, 2025, during a joint sitting, taking a major step toward creating a statutory body dedicated to protecting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan.
The bill was introduced by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution after being returned by the President. It received widespread backing, with 160 lawmakers voting in favor.
Addressing the House, the minister said, “No clause in the bill contradicts Quran and Sunnah.” He stressed that the legislation contained nothing contrary to Islamic teachings and reaffirmed that neither the government nor the Constitution would ever allow any contradiction.
He also noted that all four amendments submitted by religious scholars had already been incorporated into the final draft.
“Nothing in this law overrides existing laws or court judgments. This commission is strictly for non-Muslim citizens as defined in the Constitution,” he explained, adding that any group not accepting its constitutional status “automatically falls outside the ambit of this commission.”
The minister further highlighted that the bill had undergone careful review, first by the National Assembly Standing Committee with active participation from minority MNAs, and later by the Senate, where Senator Ali Zafar led over six weeks of discussions.
Azam Tarar emphasized that the government had moved forward with “full caution and responsibility,” ensuring protections for minority communities.
He reminded members that the bill had been pending for 14 years, despite a landmark 2014 Supreme Court (SC) ruling urging the creation of a statutory commission for minority rights.
“For fourteen years this issue has waited. Please do not make politics for the sake of politics,” the minister urged.
He clarified that the proposed commission would not have punitive powers, describing it instead as a platform for minority citizens to raise grievances directly with the state.
“Our Christian, Hindu, Parsi, Sikh, and other non-Muslim brothers and sisters deserve a forum to address issues – whether forced conversions, job quotas, sanitation workers’ rights, or other matters of dignity,” Tarar said.
He explained that "the commission to be established under this bill provides a platform to the non-Muslims to send their grievances to the government for redressal."
The minister also expressed gratitude to parliamentarians who contributed to the bill, including Molana Fazlur Rahman, Senator Kamran Murtaza, MNA Aliya Kamran, and minority representatives such as Keso Mal Kheal Das, Dr. Darshan, Senator Khalil Tahir Sandhu, Senator Danesh Kumar, Nalson Azeem, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) minority MNA from Peshawar.
MNA Amir Jeeva also spoke on the occasion, expressing appreciation to the Law Ministry and all parliamentary parties for supporting a long-standing demand of religious minorities.
He recalled introducing earlier versions of the bill on July 6, 2024, and February 18, 2025, saying that today’s approval represented the culmination of years of advocacy.
“Those who attempted to politicize this cause have only harmed a vulnerable community. But today Parliament has fulfilled a long-awaited promise,” Amir Jeeva said.
Meanwhile, the joint sitting of Parliament also passed several other bills today, including "The National Assembly Secretariat Employees (Amendment) Bill, 2025," "The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (Implementation) Bill, 2024," "The Pakistan Institute of Management, Sciences and Technology Bill, 2023," "The National University for Security Sciences, Islamabad Bill, 2023," and "The Ghurki Institute of Science and Technology Bill, 2025."
After completing its agenda, the joint sitting of Parliament has now been prorogued.