Faisalabad: (PCP) Professor Anjum James Paul, Chairman Pakistan Minorities Teachers Association, who continuously writes on issues of Religious Freedom and Belief of Pakistani Minority Students to Supreme Court of Pakistan, Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and different administrative units, have written a letter to Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan demanding ensure freedom in religion.

Herewith we are posting his letter to PM of Pakistan:   

Mr. Imran Khan

Prime Minster of Pakistan

Prime Minister’s Secretariat

Islamabad                                                                                                                  

REQUEST TO ENSURE FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF OF THE PAKISTANI RELIGIOUS MINORITY STUDENTS

Your Excellency,

Greetings and peace from Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association (PMTA).

PMTA would like to draw your kind attention on the subject cited above.

Sir, Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association is making efforts for equality based, equity based and inclusive education through research and advocacy since 2004 and to make efforts for equal citizenship, equal rights and equal opportunities in Pakistan that Quaid-e-Azam promised in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on August 11, 1947 and guaranteed in Article 25 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973.

Your Excellency, you have quoted the Quranic verse (2:256) "no compulsion in religion" during a ceremony regarding minorities at the President’s House in Islamabad on July 29, 2019 but the textbooks published by the Textbook Boards of Pakistan along with the approved textbooks of the Federal Directorate of Education, government of Pakistan in 2019 violate UDHR, ICRC, ICCPR,  Constitution of Pakistan 1973 under article 20 (a) and article 22 (1) and the verdict of 19 June, 2014 of the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding Minority Rights. The central theme of the Pakistani textbooks in the subjects of pure sciences, social sciences and languages is to make good Muslims under article 31 of the constitution. So, the minority students are forced to study negative propagation against their religious beliefs. Besides this, only religious minority students are deprived of their constitutional right to receive religious education.

Sir, Federal Ministry of Education has adopted a biased and discriminatory approach in the Single National Curriculum (SNC) as religious minority students have been deprived of their constitutional and fundamental right to receive their religious education.

PMTA is presenting the outlines in the subject of ‘Religion’ for religious minority students for grade III-XII. These outlines have already been submitted to the Director Curriculum, Punjab Curriculum And Textbook Board Lahore on 12 September 2019 in the subjects of Christianity, Sanatan Dharam and Sikh Dharam.

Christianity

Chapter 1:           Holy Bible

Recitation of Holy Bible

Chapter 2: Beliefs and Prayers

Chapter 3: Life of Jesus Christ

        Promotion of Christianity

Chapter 4: Ethics and Morality

Honesty, Simplicity, Service to humanity, Ethics of gathering,  Punctuality, Love for the country and country men

Chapter 5: Sources of Guidance/ Heroes of Christianity

Sanatan Dharam

Chapter 1: Geeta, Maha Bharat

        Recitation of Geeta, Maha Bharat

Chapter 2: Beliefs and Prayers

        Chapter 3: Life of Krishan ji and Ram

         Promotion of Sanatan Dharam

Chapter 4: Ethics and Morality

Honesty, Simplicity, Service to humanity, Ethics of gathering,  Punctuality, Love for the country and country men

Chapter 5: Sources of Guidance/ Heroes of Sanatan Dharam

Sikh Dharam

Chapter 1: Guru Granth Sahib

        Recitation of Guru Granth Sahib

Chapter 2: Beliefs and Prayers

Chapter 3: Life of Guru Nanak Sahib Ji

       Promotion of Sikh Dharam

Chapter 4: Ethics and Morality

Honesty, Simplicity, Service to humanity, Ethics of gathering, Punctuality, Love for the country and country men

Chapter 5: Sources of Guidance/ Heroes of Sikh Dharam

 

Some violations of the article 22 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan are presented below;

Read and share

And we made every living thing out of water. (Sutah: Al-Anbiya)

Reference: Science 1, Page 81, Federal Directorate of Education, 2019

1.1.4 Quran and Biology

At many places in Holy Quran, Allah hints about the origin and chacteristics of living organisms. In the same verses human beings have been instructed to expose the unknown aspects of life, after getting the hints. Here are few examples of such guidelines.

“We made every living thing from water.” (Sura: Ambia. Verse: 30)

Reference: Biology 9, page 6, Punjab Curriculum And Textbook Board Lahore, 2019

NAZIRA QURA’AN MAJEED

Students’ Learning Outcomes

All the students will be able to:

Learn alphabets in Arabic language.

Learn Punctuations in Arabic language.

Recite Qura’ani Qaida with correct punctuation

Reference: General Knowledge 1, Page 4, Federal Directorate of Education, 2019

Our Beliefs

(Only for Muslims)

Students Learning Outcomes

All the students will be able to:

Reference: General Knowledge 1, Page 5, Federal Directorate of Education, 2019

  Kalma Tayyaba

All the Muslims recite Kalimah Tayyabah

There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah                Reference  General Knowledge 1: Page 6, Federal Directorate of Education, 2019 (

Our most common factor is our religion Islam. It creates harmony among us and promote brotherhood unity and love for one another.

Reference: Social Studies 5, Page 66, Federal Directorate of Education, 2019iology   

The Seeking of Knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.

Reference: English Grade 7, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board Peshawar, 2019

Translation: Writing skill

Memorize Kalama Tayyaba and learn its translation.

Reference: Urdu 2: Page 19, Federal Directorate of Education, 2019

RECOMMENDATIONS

1.            Safe and healthy environment of right to life, religion and education must be provided to the religious minority students to avoid further racial discrimination.

2.            Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB) must be guaranteed to the deprived Pakistani religious minority students in the educational system of Pakistan as guaranteed in the constitution of Pakistan

3.            Subject of ‘Religion’ must be introduced immediately as it is in the case of Muslim.

4.            All such contents that glorify hate against non-Islamic religions and non-Muslims must be eradicated to promote the culture of peaceful coexistence and social harmony.

With best regards.

PROF.ANJUM JAMES PAUL

CHAIRMAN

Copy to:

i.             Honourable Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Pakistan

ii.            Mr. Shafqat Mehmood, Federal Minister of Education, GOP, Islamabad

iii.           Dr. Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister of Human Rights, GOP, Islamabad