Karachi, Pakistan, Aug 9, 2011 / 03:33 am
The Pakistan government’s new approach to national harmony is a “downgrade” for Christians and others concerned about religious freedom, Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad has said.
The government has decided to create a Minister for National Harmony who will look at the wider issue of social cohesion. It has appointed to the post Akram Masih Gill, a Catholic who is the former Minister for Minorities.
However, Bishop Coutts emphasized that Gill’s government rank is below that of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Minister for Minorities whom Muslim extremists assassinated in March. The bishop, who is president of the Pakistan Catholic bishops’ conference, noted that Bhatti’s cabinet-level post had specific responsibilities for promoting the interests of religious minorities while Gill’s non-cabinet position does not.
“For me, all this is a step down; it’s a certain downgrade concerning the representation of minorities,” Bishop Coutts told ACN News.