By Xavier P William in Islamabad
PERHAPS for the first-time ever in recorded history, a Pakistani minister has been prevented from delivering the Budget speech because of his faith.
Kamran Micheal the Provincial minister for the Human Rights also holds the additional portfolio of finance ministry after PML-N ( Pakistan Muslim league Nawaz group) broke its coalition with PPP in the Punjab Assembly.
Being the finance minister, Kamran Micheal is authorized and entitled to present the budget in the Punjab Assembly.
However, several members of the PML-N were of the view that Kamran Micheal being a Christian, should not be allowed to deliver the budget speech although he holds a prominent position.
Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa, senior adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had been attending the meetings with the provincial ministers, finance secretary, chairman of the planning and development department and financial institutions.
Punjab government rules prohibit an adviser from heading any departmental business, even those at a department to which he or she has been assigned.
Micheal was forbidden to attend the meetings or talk to the concerned people because of his faith, sources said.
Several members of the PML-N have objected and talked to the Chief Minister for forbidding Micheal from presenting the budget speech and they advised the CM to present the budget himself.
PML-N has already been criticized for discrimination against the minorities in Punjab and for supporting the extremists groups which have been promoting hatred against the minorities. This act has raised the concerns for the minorities, it has also revealed the extremist school of thought of the party.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has also criticized PML-N for forbidding the Provincial Finance Minister for delivering the annual budget speech. The Punjab Chief Minister, PPP members said holds as many as 20 portfolios in the State.
Pervaiz Rafique, a Christian Legislator from PPP, said, “We strongly condemn the CM for his extremist views, he holds 20 portfolios. Constitutionally the finance minister presents the annual budget every year. Forbidding a person from presenting the budget because of his religious belief is the worst kind of discrimination by PML-N. We Christians are also Pakistanis. We are entitled to the same rights as any other person of any religious belief.”
Rufin Anthony, Bishop of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, said: “Every citizen of this country, be he or she of any religious belief, has an equal claim to it, and its legislature. The PML-N needs to decide what sort of message it wants to send to the world community, and show that they are capable of rising above the petty mindset of some of their supporters. Condoning such bigotry and intolerance will only confirm the worst impressions about Pakistanis in general and the PML-N in specific that the world already harbors. There is no constitutional bar on Mr. Michael presenting a budget. He is an equal citizen of Pakistan. Such an act of a political Party can lead to its disqualification on charges of breaking the constitutional Law. Micheal would not have faced such an ignominy even if he had joined a religious party. Such acts tarnish the name of country and speaks volumes about the statehood.”
The Anglican Bishop of Lahore Alexander John Malik said: “It’s a shameful hypocrisy! If the Americans would have done the same thing to a Muslim legislator in America, the beards would have been out on the streets demanding the blood of the ‘infidels’. This is a new angle to discrimination practiced in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
Rizwan Paul, Vice President of Life for All, said: “Did Christians make a mistake in joining Pakistan? Were the Sikhs smart in rejecting inclusion in Pakistan? Did the Ahmadis bring upon themselves the punishment by working for Pakistan? These Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities contribute to the GDP equally, pay taxes and have all the rights a Muslim Pakistani has. So why this discrimination?”
PPP Senior Member Raja Riaz said: “The Chief Minister of Punjab reacted on the term Punjabi Taliban, but this act of forbidding a Christian for delivering the budget speech because of his religion shows the extremist views. We strongly condemn PML-N for their discrimination. We will walk out if the CM delivers the budget speech, we will not accept this discrimination.”
Maulana Mehfooz Ahmed Khan, a religious scholar from Lahore, also condemned the Punjab government. He said: “This is unjust to forbid a Christian from presenting the budget because of his faith. We condemn this discrimination. Kamran Michael is also the Provincial Minister for Human Rights. A minister for human rights is himself being discriminated. We urge the Lahore High Court to take action against the discrimination.”
