<\/p>\n
The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday sought details of persons detained under the blasphemy law from the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR).<\/p>\n
Senator Walid Iqbal chaired a meeting of the committee. According to an official handout<\/a>, the body adopted the recommendation to constitute a national coordination committee within the Ministry of Human Rights to draft standard operating procedures for \u201ceffective control on issues that cause suffering to minorities\u201d.<\/p>\n The committee condemned the Jaranwala incident, when a violent mob destroyed<\/a> dozens of houses and churches over allegations of blasphemy, and also deliberated on the steps taken in the aftermath, the handout said.<\/p>\n The handout said that the committee \u201crepeatedly expressed concern over the abuse of blasphemy laws\u201d and observed that incidents like Jaranwala were a cause for shame for the nation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe committee chair sought details of persons detained under blasphemy law in the next meeting,\u201d the handout said.<\/p>\n Speaking to Dawn.com<\/em>, Senator Iqbal said that the committee had sought details of blasphemy cases from the NCHR. \u201cWe have asked about how many people are being tried under the blasphemy law, how many people are in jail and how many people have been sentenced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He said that the committee had also sought complete details about the cases being tried under the blasphemy law. \u201cIf the law was used against Muslims, then details on this should also be provided,\u201d he said, adding that the NCHR would submit these details at the committee\u2019s next hearing.<\/p>\n During the hearing, Ministry of Human Rights Secretary Allah Dino Khowaja briefed the committee on the Jaranwala incident. He said that two Christian youths had been accused of desecrating the Holy Quran.<\/p>\n He further said that mob violence had caused damage to dozens of homes, adding that it had been decided that 92 families would be compensated for the rampage.<\/p>\n The secretary said that there was a lack of coordination between the federation and the provinces. He proposed forming a national coordination committee, adding that there was also a need for improving policing.<\/p>\n The committee agreed with the secretary\u2019s view regarding the formation of a national coordination committee to prevent such incidents from taking place in the future.<\/p>\n During the meeting, PTI\u2019s Seemee Ezdi suggested revisiting the blasphemy law. \u201cEarlier, such incidents did not happen so frequently,\u201d she said, adding that it needed to be examined whether \u201csomething was left out\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cMany people are also afraid to talk about this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui, however, disagreed with Seemee\u2019s view. \u201cIf there is no law, then there will be no way to curb it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere should be a law to prevent every incident,\u201d he said, adding that the \u201cpath should not be blocked\u201d.<\/p>\n At this, Seemee said, \u201cThe path will not be blocked. We will review the law.\u201d<\/p>\nRevisiting blasphemy law<\/h2>\n