Lahore:  Chairman Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan Mr. Samson Salamat in an Open Letter to Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan has congratulated him on being elected as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan, calling for hard-work from the government functionaries, cooperation from the state institutions, the smooth political environment and the respect of human rights for bringing Pakistan out of countless crisis.   

In his Letter Mr. Samson Salamat said that “Rwadari Tehreek is a social movement which was initiated in 2015 to counter intolerance, and violent extremism from the Pakistani society and enhance the scope of respect of diversity, especially religious diversity and safeguard religious freedom. Members of Rwadari Tehreek belong to different walks of life including different faiths, religions, languages, ethnicities etc. and are working for the betterment of the society. In order to assist the government to make sure that Pakistan is pulled out of the socio-economic crisis, Rwadari Tehreek humbly and faithfully presents recommendations which may be taken into consideration while making laws, policies and strategies”. 

Presenting specific recommendations to the Prime Minister Mr. Samson Salamat urged that “all state institutions should follow and work in accordance with their role defined in the Constitution of Pakistan and ensure that there is no undue interferences. By all means, the government must refrain from any forms of political victimization of the opponents and, maintain harmony and cooperation for the sake of the people and the country. Furthermore Provincial Autonomy guaranteed through 18th Amendment should be implemented in letter and spirit and there should be more concrete initiatives to address the grievances of the provinces”.

“Bring reforms to strengthen democratic institutions- ensure the independence of the Election Commission of Pakistan, and transparency of the electoral process to avoid political unrest in

future created after every election due to the allegations of rigging and other mal-practices during the electoral process and take practical initiatives to promote political tolerance and refrain from instigation and political violence” Mr. Samson Salamat further said.       

In order to deal with the financial crises Mr. Samson Salamat suggested that “special measures should be taken for the economic growth e.g. save financial resources by cutting the non-productive expenditures, observe simplicity, keep small cabinet, avoid huge protocols, promote tourism, and other industries etc. along with a comprehensive national policy to deal with the challenges caused by the climate change”.

Drawing the attention towards the hardships faced by the weaker sections of the society Chairman Rwadari Tehreek urged special attention and practical steps for the uplift of women, children, minorities, laborers & workers (brick kiln & sanitary workers, factory workers, peasants etc.) and initiatives to stop violence against women and children.  

In order to address their problems and grievances Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan has suggested to introduce a Constitutional Reforms Package for Minorities, which should include the removal  of biases and discriminations from the Constitution to ensure that all citizens are equal constitutionally on the concept of Equal Citizenship, stop the consistent misuse of Blasphemy Laws, enact laws to stop forced conversion of girls belonging to Minority Communities, and end the current unfair & undemocratic Proportional Representation System to fill-up the reserved seats for minorities to give minorities right to chance to elect their own representatives within the joint electorate system at the national and provincial assemblies.

In order to repair the damage done by extremism and organized terrorism in the country, Rwadari Tehreek Chairman has urged the Implementation of National Action Plan in letter and spirit, ensuring that the banned terrorist outfits are dealt with a zero tolerance policy with no compromises. A long term plan should be made to decrease intolerance, and extremist mindset from the society which may include reforms in the educational curriculum, and effective implementation of the ban on hate speech and materials which triggers violence, the Rwadari Tehreek Letter added.