By TCN News,
New Delhi: South Asian Minorities Lawyers Association (SAMLA) on Sunday demanded easing visa restriction for promoting people-to-people contact in South Asia. The demand was made in the Public Discussion entitled “Minorities: Linkages for South Asian Societies” here at New Delhi.
In a resolution adopted at the discussion held on 25th March 2012, SAMLA demanded governments of the region, especially India and Pakistan, to ease visa restrictions on the citizens of the region, and allow visa-free movement to professionals especially lawyers in order to promote better adherence to rule of law. The group also demanded protection of minorities’ rights in each South Asian countries.
Speaking at the program, Pravin H. Parikh, Senior Advocate and President, Supreme Court Bar Association said that people of South Asian countries share common history and were linked by cultures, and desire to have strong affinity with each other.
“The problems between different countries, especially India and Pakistan, are more at governmental levels, as far as the people are considered, I have personal experience of warm, friendly treatment from peoples of the countries of this region, he said.
He said that on numerous occasions, when he visited Pakistan, he found that the moment he introduced that he was an Indian, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, and many other people showed their love by either not charging anything for the services or goods or gave him gifts stating that he was their guest.
Mohammad Adeeb, Member of Rajya Sabha said that majorities communities and government must appreciate that minorities have a crucial role to play in cementing and further strengthening the ties among societies of the South Asian countries.
He said that Muslims exercised their choice to live in India because of the vision founding fathers and freedom fighters adopted for advancement of this country.
He said, “When Muslims chose to live in India, they effectively endorsed the idea of a pluralistic country and rejected the two-nation theory of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. They cannot and shall not allow to succeed the attempts to divide this society on the basis of religion, creed or any other ground”.
Expressing the dilemma that people face in the region, Dr. J.C Batra, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court, said, “I was born in Multan and came to India with my parents at the time of partition. Partition snatched my motherland and I feel that though my body is in India but my soul remains in Pakistan”.
“When I go to Pakistan, I tell people there that I am from Multan but my passport says that I am India, what do I do about this sense of confusing identities”, he said.
He said that people to the region should establish organisations that promote better understanding among them.
Detailing the role of minorities commission in promoting social and economic progress, Safdar H. Khan, Chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission, said that all governments of the region should establish institutions that look after and promote rights of minorities in their respective countries.
Feroz Khan Ghazi, Secretary General, SAMLA, emphasized the role of lawyers and judiciary in promoting minority rights in the region.
Giving example of Tamils in Sri Lanka, Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Muslims in India, he said, “Protection and promotion of rights of minorities in one country shall have a multiplier effect in the region as a community which is in minority in one country is either a majority community or is substantial in other country.”
Other prominent figures who addressed the gathering included Prof M. Afzal Wani, member, Law Commission of India, J.H. Jafri, President, SAMLA, and Rana P Siddiqui, Member, Bar Council of Delhi.
Resolution
South Asian Region has shared history and culture. This region is a crucible of countless numbers of cultures, and diverse beliefs interacting with traditional values going back to millennia. The diversity and pluralistic character of the region is an asset of the peoples of the region which needs to be nurtured.
Nurturing this invaluable asset invariably means respect for minorities’ rights and culture in all the countries of the region.
Societies and peoples of the region must appreciate that affording their respective minorities life of dignity without eroding their identities shall further strong linkages between the societies leading to lasting peace, harmony and progress among all the countries of the region.
Minorities in one country are majorities another country which can prove to be great boon for promotion of people-to-people contact. Potential of these great social linkages needs to promoted by the governments of the region.
THEREFORE:
SAMLA calls upon the governments and people of the South Asian Countries to work towards protection and promotion of rights of minorities in their respective countries.
SAMLA calls upon all the countries in the South Asian Region to repeal all such laws that allow discrimination and persecution of minorities of their respective countries, and enact and/or ensure effective enforcement of laws
Promoting protection, equity, identity and dignity to their respective minorities.
SAMLA calls upon the governments of the region to ease restrictions on visa on the citizens of the region and allow visa-free movement for lawyers for promotion of rights of minorities and rule of law.
SAMLA further calls upon the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to adopt a regional framework convention for protection and promotion of rights of the minorities as recognized in the UN Declaration On Rights of Minorities of 1992.