<http://www.asianews.it/view_p.php?l=en&art=2847>
>>> AsiaNews.it <<< 23 March, 2005 PAKISTAN Religion back in passports Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Pakistani passports might still indicate the bearer's religious affiliation, this if recommendations by a five-member ministerial committee are accepted by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The proposal to restore the religion column in passports meets the demands made by Islamic groups who opposed removing it in the first place to "preserve the Islamic identity" of the country. Speaking yesterday, Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, who headed the committee, said that the recommendation was 'unanimous'. Human and minority rights activists have denounced the compulsory declaration of religion as a "source of intolerance". Should the recommendation be accepted it could put at risk Ahmadiyya Muslims, who are considered heretical by other Muslims, preventing them from visiting Makkah and performing Hajj. The change in policy came after the six opposition Islamic parties forming the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance demonstrated for months against the decision to remove religious affiliation from passports. It was their opposition that persuaded the government to set up the five-member ministerial committee to review the issue. Everything started in 2004 when the government decided to remove religious affiliation from Pakistani travel documents in accordance to the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. So far 80,000 passports without religion column have been issued. Information Minister Shaikh Rashid also said that the name 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan' will appear on the on the cover page of the passport. Muslims constitute 97 per cent of Pakistan's population of 150 million. Christians are 2.5 per cent-Catholics number 1.2 million. (LF) Copyright � 2003 AsiaNews All rights reserved -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
