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Karachi, Pakistan, Aug 9, 2019 / 10:09 am (CNA).- Catholic and other religious leaders signed a joint resolution Thursday encouraging the Pakistani government to adopt policies to protect religious minorities.

The leaders held a press conference in Karachi Aug. 8 organized by Aid to the Church in Need – Italy and by local advocate Tabassum Yousaf.

In attendence were Fr. Saleh Diego, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Karachi, who represented Cardinal Joseph Coutts. Representatives of the country’s Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Baha’i communities  were also present and signed the resolution.

The join resolution, sent to prime minister Imran Khan and obtained by CNA, includes 10 recommendations meant to safeguard the rights of minorities and women.

Pakistan’s state religion is Islam, and around 97 percent of the population is Muslim.

The country’s authorities have consistently failed to implement safeguards on behalf of religious minorities, despite numerous policies in favor of economic and physical protections for members of non-Muslim religions.

The first point adopted in the joint resolution urges that the minimum age for marriage be made 18 years; the current marriage age for women is now 16.

The religious minorities also ask for the opportunity for better economic development, which they are not guaranteed at the moment.

The religious leaders encouraged a federal ministry for religious minorities, and the application of a quota for educational scholarships given to minorities.

In 2013 the then-governing party, the Pakistan Muslim League (N), promised a quota for jobs in the educational institutes and the public sector for members of religious minorities. The Pakistan Peoples Party discussed an Equality Commission to monitor job quotas in Sindh.

Both parties are now in the opposition in the national parliament, and the proposed safeguards have not been put into action.

The joint resolution urges protection of minorities’ houses of worship from government seizure; designated minority worship areas in jails, hospitals, and state institutions; and the passage of legislation to prevent religious discrimination in employment, education, and society.

The religious leaders also asked for government subsidies for security at minorities’ schools. In December 2017, Islamic State group-affiliated suicide bombers attacked a Methodist church in Quetta, killing nine people.

The joint resolution said minorities “should be given particular protection” against the abuse of the country’s blasphemy laws.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws impose strict punishment on those who desecrate the Quran or who defame or insult Muhammad. Although the government has never executed a person under the blasphemy law, accusations alone have inspired mob and vigilante violence.

Blasphemy laws are reportedly used to settle scores or to persecute religious minorities; while non-Muslims constitute only 3 percent of the Pakistani population, 14 percent of blasphemy cases have been levied against them.

Many of those accused of blasphemy are murdered, and advocates of changing the law are also targeted by violence.

The blasphemy laws were introduced between 1980 and 1986. The National Commission for Justice and Peace said over 1,300 people were accused under this law from 1987 until 2014. The Centre for Research and Security Studies reported that at least 65 people have been killed by vigilantes since 1990.

In the joint resolution the religious leaders also noted that “there is no forced conversion according to the Holy Quran.” On that basis, they urged legislation against abduction, sexual violence, and subsequent forced conversion to Islam, which acts they said do not propagate “the true spirit of Islam.”

The joint resolution also called for the elimination from books of material encouraging hatred.

Earlier this year Sam Brownback, the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, applauded Pakistan for showing a willingness to enhance religious liberty, while also recognizing the need for significant improvement.

Brownback met with Pakistani government and religious leaders Feb. 22-23.

“During these meetings, Ambassador Brownback emphasized the importance the United States places on religious freedom, the protection of religious minorities, and respect,” the US embassy in Pakistan stated.

In December 2018, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo named Pakistan as one of 10 “Countries of Particular Concern,” a designation given to states that engage in or tolerate egregious, ongoing religious freedom violations.

That designation marked the first year that Pakistan had been placed on the list. The previous year, it had been placed on a “Special Watch List.”

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Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia. / Shutterstock

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Sydney, Australia, Aug 20, 2019 / 11:32 am (CNA).- A final vote on a bill to decriminalize abortion in the Australian state of New South Wales has been delayed until the middle of September, according to local media reports.

The state’s Legislative Council had been scheduled to debate the bill beginning Aug. 20, and the final vote will now take place the week of Sept. 17.

The Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 would allow abortions for any reason up to 22 weeks of pregnancy; after that, it would allow for abortions if two doctors believe an abortion should be performed “in light of future physical, social and psychological circumstances,” according to The Guardian.

Under current law, abortion is only legal in NSW if a doctor determines that a woman’s physical or mental health is in danger. “Mental health” has been interpreted by courts to include “economic and social stress.”

Pro-life protestors rallied outside the parliament building after the delay was announced.

As the parliament of New South Wales opened debate on the bill Aug. 6, hundreds of pro-lifers joined a three-day prayer vigil. Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney called for all Catholics to pray against the bill’s passage.

The Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church of Australia, and the NSW Presbyterian Church all oppose the bill.

“Rather than pursuing laws that will lead to more abortions, we should instead be investing in ways to support pregnant women who feel they have no other choice,” Archbishop Fisher said July 29.

The bill was set to have been introduced to the state parliament July 30, and debated that week. Debate was delayed, however, after concerns it had been rushed through without proper consideration.

Despite this, the bill passed the Legislative Assembly Aug. 8 by a vote of 59-31.

According to The Catholic Weekly, the Archdiocese of Sydney’s publication, the bill originally did not mandate any counseling or period of consideration for the woman.

After some revisions, the bill would now require medical practitioners to offer counselling to a woman seeking an abortion if they believe it would be beneficial, The Guardian reports.

Critics of the bill have also objected that it would require doctors with conscientious objections to refer women to other abortion providers.

The legislation would also make it a criminal offense for individuals to perform abortions without the proper authorizations, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment for doing so. Doctors would also have to obtain “informed consent” from patients before performing abortions.

According to supporters of the bill, it clarifies what they believe were previously ambiguous terms in penal code with regard to abortion. But according to conservatives who oppose the bill, it opens up the possibility for abortion at any time for any reason as long as two doctors agree.

Tanya Davies, a Liberal Party member and fomer women’s minister, introduced an amendment that would have barred sex-selective abortion. The amendment was voted down, with some legislators arguing it could lead to racial discrimination and profiling, and that sex-selective abortion “is not an issue in NSW,” The Catholic Weekly reported.

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