Rejection of the bill against forced conversions (the Bill) by a parliamentary committee on October 13 has added to the deep sense of insecurity among Pakistan’s non-Muslim communities, especially the Christians and Hindus.

The Parliamentary Committee against Forced Conversions was formed in November 2019 under the chairmanship of Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar. Its members were drawn from the Senate and the National Assembly. They included minorities’ representatives and three ministers, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri, Minister for Human Rights Shirin Mazari and State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan. The committee held 10 meetings to identify and define the problem and find a solution. It finally came up with a draft for the proposed law. The Prohibition of Forced Conversion Bill 2019 included the prohibition of conversion of religion by force, coercion, intimidation, inducement for marital incentives and fraudulent misrepresentation. The law was to be extended to all of Pakistan and come into force at once.

However, in its last meeting, held on October 13, the committee rejected the draft. The parliamentarians opposed to it adopted various postures and gave different reasons for their opposition.

Noorul Haq Qadri, the soft spoken minister for religious affairs said, “The environment is unfavourable for promulgation of the Anti-Forced Conversions law.” He warned that an approval of the draft could threaten peace and make the minorities more vulnerable. Interestingly, he urged Prime Minister Imran Khan and the provincial governments to take other steps to stop forced conversions. This showed that he did not deny the existence of the forced conversions issue in the country.

Those who opposed the Bill most strongly had not been a part of the original parliamentary committee that held 10 sessions besides holding several unofficial meetings. They were all included in the committee later. Jamaat-i-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, who was included in the committee a couple of months ago, denied that there was a problem of forced conversions in Pakistan. He also said “This bill is anti-Islam.” He was also reported to have declared that, “Come what may, we will not allow anyone to go against Islam.”

Maulvi Faiz Ahmed of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), also said that the Bill was anti-Islam and a violation of the shariah.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan explained that the Bill was being opposed as setting an age threshold with regard to conversion violated Islamic injunctions and the constitution. He also made an intriguing revelation: “Law Minister Farogh Naseem called me to his office and cautioned that moving such legislation might be dangerous,” said Khan. He quoted the law minister as saying, “Ministries and portfolios carry little value, they come and go, we should not go against Islam,” Khan added.

The report of the Senate committee on the subject, submitted by its chairman Anwar Ul Haq Kakar in February 2021, had not found any of the proposed clauses of the Bill un-Islamic or a violation of the constitution.

The report did not deny the fact of forced conversions either. It revealed that the issue had been discussed with foreign dignitaries too. On Page 3, it said, “Two unofficial meetings were also held with the representatives from the Church of England and Advisor on Religious Minorities to the State Department of US. The Committee acquired valuable experience and guidelines to draft procedure and Terms of Reference (ToRs). It provided the opportunity to the Committee to assess what the major powers around the world observed and how they devised policies in terms of minorities and religious freedom. The Committee apprised the representatives that in Pakistan, religion, Constitution, laws and society did not provide for any exercise of converting non-Muslims to the state religion. The Committee was assured by representatives of both bodies of assistance and cooperation for research. This added to the richness of its experience and assisted the Committee later to discuss and frame a line of action. The Committee also decided to collect data of forced conversions across Pakistan and the decision was communicated to the highest authorities in the provinces. Since the cases were rife and proliferating in the province of Sindh, the Committee also developed consensus to visit the region at the earliest.”

The Movement for Social Justice and People’s Commission for Minority Rights in a report in 2020 analysed 162 cases of forced conversion. A sample study stated that the girls had belonged to Christian and Hindu communities. Most of the forced conversions had taken place in Sindh and the Punjab. However, similar incidents had also occurred in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to the report, 52 percent of the people subjected to forced conversions belonged to the Punjab, whereas 44 percent to Sindh, and 1.3 percent to Islamabad and KP. Eighty percent of the victims of forced marriage, abduction and rape were under 18 years of age.

According to the latest statistics, 36 incidents have been reported in 2021 after 13 such incidents were reported in 2020. This indicates a 177 percent increase year-on-year.

Nasira Javed Iqbal, a former judge of the Lahore High Court says, “It is embarrassing that religion has once again been used to justify the abuse of minority communities’ women.”

The writer is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and researcher. He tweets at @BukhariMubasher