MQM BELIEVES IN RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND WOMEN RIGHTS

ALL RELIGIOUS MINORITIES INCLUDING ENTITIES SUBSCRIBING TO DIFFERENT THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT, CREED AND BELIEF HAVE AN INHERENT RIGHT OVER PAKISTAN --- ALTAF HUSSAIN

MQM FIRMLY BELIEVES IN RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND WOMEN RIGHTS

THE MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS IN PAKISTAN DOES NOT MEAN THAT RELIGIOUS MINORITIES BE DISCRIMINATED OR VILIFIED

PASSAGE OF SHARIAT BILL, WITHOUT TAKING INTO CONFIDENCE PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, FAITH, BELIEF, SEX AND CREED, SHALL GENERATE SENSE OF DEPRIVATION, FRUSTRATION AND INSECURITY

WOMEN ALSO HAVE RESERVATIONS OVER THE PROPOSED SHARIAT BILL. IT WILL BE UNFAIR TO IGNORE THEM.

TELEPHONIC CONVERSATION WITH THE PRESIDENT OF CHRISTIAN LIBERATION FRONT

London: October 10, 1998

Mr. Altaf Hussain, Founder & Leader of MQM said, "We envisage to transform Pakistan into a welfare State that enjoins religious freedom, tolerance and equal rights to all irrespective of their theology, faith, creed, sex, belief or religion. No one is to be victimised or subjected to oppression, bias or hatred merely because of his religious beliefs and sentiments". Mr. Altaf Hussain expressed these views while talking to Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, President of Christian Liberation Front, over the telephone the other day from London. He added, "Wherever a monarchical, feudal or autocratic system exists, the ruling junta, to perpetuate its own hold and rule, use religion as a tool of exploitation". Unfortunately, an outdated and age old antiquated feudal system is in vogue for the past fifty years in Pakistan. In order to sustain it and to continue the exploitation of the ninety eight percent middle class, oppressed and poverty stricken population, the ruling elite has pitched one section of the population against the other in the name of religion". Mr. Altaf Hussain added, "MQM is the only political party which has no wadera (feudal lord) in its rank and file. It comprises of members belonging to poor and middle class who believe in practicalism (pragmatism) and realism. MQM visualise to establish such social order where everyone gets his due rights and is assured of fair play, equal treatment, equity and justice irrespective of his religion, caste, creed, colour, sex, sect, language or ethnicity". Mr. Altaf Hussain reiterated, "MQM believes in religious tolerance and is of the firm view that Pakistan was not created for the rule and ascendancy for any particular religion or school of thought". He said that everyone without an exception, irrespective of his belief and creed has equal claim over Pakistan. He quoted the Founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who in his address to the Constituent Assembly on 11^th August 1947 had unequivocally declared,

"… You may belong to any religion or caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of State…. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State… Now, I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State".

The Founder of Pakistan had also said,

"You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques, or to any other places of worship in the State of Pakistan".

Mr. Altaf Hussain said that the Founder of Pakistan had proclaimed it in unambiguous words in public that everyone has a right to live in Pakistan peacefully, but alas! After his demise the vested interest -- waderas and jagirdars (feudal oligarchy) hijacked his liberal philosophy and thinking and introduced a new theme altogether different and contrary to the philosophy and thoughts of the Founder of Pakistan. Mr. Altaf Hussain said, "the MQM believes that all members of religious minorities and schools of thought (including Fiqah and Maslak) are to be accorded equal treatment and are not to be discriminated on grounds of faith or religion. Not only that each one of them should get his due rights, but the policy of religious tolerance be so designed that all religious minorities and those having different schools of thought, sect, faith, sex or belief may order their lives, rituals and religious practices in accordance with the dictates of their own faith and creed".

Mr. Altaf Hussain elaborated that MQM firmly believes notwithstanding their religion, if Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists and Ahmadis are national of Pakistan they are to be treated at par with other Pakistanis, but in no case shall be given a discriminatory treatment merely because they belong to religious minority.

Mr. Altaf Hussain, re-emphasised that MQM believes in religious tolerance and that is why when the question of Shariat Bill was raised, MQM expounded its Haq-Parastana (righteous) policy of opposing it openly. It is true, he said, that Muslims are in majority in Pakistan, but it does not mean that those who are not Muslims but Pakistanis, are to be maligned simply because of their being non-Muslims. MQM is deadly against such policy. Humanity in MQM's perception is the prime virtue. Being human beings, if we do not respect each other and pay no regards to the religious beliefs and sentiments of our fellow beings than we are not entitled to be called human.

Mr. Altaf Hussain said that we are all Muslims. Islam is our religion and way of life. We do not dispute Shariat as such. We have full faith in Shariat. What we perceive is that Pakistan is inhabited by all those who belong to different schools of thoughts and creed, yet all are Muslims. However, there are differences amongst Muslims with regard to the jurisprudence (Fiqah). Hence it is all the more essential that for the enforcement of Shariat, those belonging to different schools of thought should have been taken into confidence. Their religious leaders should have been invited for a dialogue along with other representatives of the minorities for evolving consensus. He also said that so long as members of religious minorities and schools of thoughts are not taken into confidence and a unanimous decision is not arrived at, it is bound to produce a sense of deprivation and insecurity which is not in the national interest.

Mr. Hussain said women are important element of our society with substantial majority. It was, therefore, imperative that women should have been consulted and taken into confidence before introducing Shariat Bill. He pointed out that like the religious minorities, who had expressed their reservations and apprehensions in respect of this Bill, there is considerable restlessness amongst the ranks and file of the womenfolk. It was, therefore, not correct to ignore women's views on the Bill. He reaffirmed that MQM shall formulate its policy in the backdrop of its own philosophy and thought, wherein the rights of all minorities and sects are fully protected.

Mr. Altaf Hussain stated that MQM wants to reshape Pakistan as a welfare State where there would be no religious victimisation or discrimination and where members of all religious minorities, sects, sex, creed and belief will have equal rights and privileges. In such a State no one would be allowed to victimise anyone else on the grounds of religion, sect or belief.

Mr. Hussain said that other political parties in the country entice religious minorities to join them and once their purpose is served they are discarded without lending any support in their difficult time. MQM is the only political party that deplored and raised their voice against the discrimination and victimisation of the religious minorities or sectarian groups. Despite State terrorism against the MQM it has always condemned the actions against any religious minority in Pakistan.

In response to a question posed by Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, President Christian Liberation Front, Mr. Altaf Hussain said that MQM welcomes the desire of Christians along with other religious minorities in Pakistan to join the Haq-Parast (righteous) struggle

Mr. Hussain pointed out that his struggle is difficult and arduous. The pathway to truth and righteousness is torturous and difficult. In this struggle, he added, thousands of his companions have lost their precious lives. Thousands are languishing in prisons whereas thousands including himself are living in exile. After knowing all these facts, he replied, if they have shown their willingness to join MQM, they are most welcome. Mr. Altaf Hussain assured the Christian brothers that MQM shall never let them and other religious minorities down. MQM is not a party that exploited minorities for political ends and discards their ranks when the purpose is achieved. MQM respects the rights of all the religious minorities and protection of their lives, property and rights is part of MQM's resolve as contained in its Manifesto.

Mr. Altaf Hussain requested Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti to convey his message to all the Christian brothers, sisters, mothers and elderly people and apprise them that we consider religious minorities as integral part of our own and not as aliens. We shall do our utmost for their well being and co-operate with them. He further stated that as a Pakistani and above all as a human being it is our duty and responsibility that we work for the welfare of mankind without any distinction of cast, creed, gender, colour, language, sect and religion. He further said that the attainment of fundamental rights of the middle class and downtrodden people and service to humanity without any distinction is our mission. This mission shall continue regardless of what toil and trouble we have to go through, he declared.