The Pakistan Human Rights Committee (HRCP) has expressed serious concerns about what it describes as a sectarian discrimination in Chitral, following a decision of the local administration in Garam Chashma to prohibit Ismaili butchers from providing meat in the region.
In a declaration strongly written on Thursday, the HRCP condemned this decision as a violation of the constitutional principle of equal economic opportunities for all citizens, whatever the sectarian affiliation.
The Commission noted that the region has long been admired for its tradition of inter -municipal harmony and has warned that such unilateral measures are likely to walk sectarian tensions and encourage violence.
“Saper the fundamental rights due to religious pressure establishes a dangerous precedent,” said HRCP.
“This threatens not only the livelihoods of a marginalized community but also the very fabric of pluralism in Pakistan.”
The duty dog has called upon the district administration to fulfill its constitutional duty to deal with all citizens equally and to ensure that administrative decisions are based on law and equity, not on appeasement.
Any failure to act impartially, warned the HRCP, could deepen the existing divisions and further erode public confidence in the rule of law.
The declaration comes in the middle of the growing concern of civil society concerning the increase in intolerance and discriminatory practices targeting religious and sectarian minorities in various parts of the country.
