Forced conversion issue in only three districts of Sindh: Noor-ul-Haq Qadri

A parliamentary committee on Wednesday rejected the anti-forced conversion bill. The bill was opposed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The bill was aimed at protecting minorities from forced religious conversion.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri while speaking about the issue in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that the issue of forced conversion of religion was only in three districts of Sindh, whereas such cases in KP, Punjab, and Balochistan were rare. He said that the issue could be resolved through administrative discipline.

However, journalist Benazir Shah while quoting a study has said in a tweet that, “Between 2013-2020, the highest incidence of alleged forced conversions was reported in Punjab, finds the Centre for Social Justice.”

He continued by adding, “We opposed the forced conversion of religion because according to Islamic teachings, no one could be forced to change religion.”

The minister also said that there should be no restrictions on anyone under the age of 18 changing their religion, as this would be considered interfering in someone’s personal life.

The proposed bill which is rejected also included punishment between five to 10 years and a fine from Rs100,000 to Rs200,000 to any person who uses criminal force to convert a person to another religion.