ISLAMABAD: A ministerial committee formed to review the National Commission for Minorities Bill 2024 has called for the commission to be financially and administratively autonomous.

The committee, chaired by Prime Minister`s Adviser on Political Affairs and Federal Minister for InterProvincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah, met at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Wednesday.

Other ministers who attended the meeting included Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

During the meeting, participants emphasised the need to finalise the bill at the earliest.

The law minister stressed that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) must be independent of ministerial pressure and political interference to effectively safeguard the rights of religious minorities, as enshrined in the Constitution.

The bill, initially submitted to the National Assembly in April 2024, faced delays after concerns from various quarters led to the formation of a review committee.

The proposed commission will com-prise 13 members, including nine from minority communities and four ex-officio members, including the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII).

The committee directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to finalise the bill within three days, incorporating amendments related to the subcommittee on the National Commission for Minorities.

The ministerial committee also reviewed the interfaith harmony policy and measures for promoting religious tolerance.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs was directed to present the finalised version of the policy within a week.

The committee noted that the policy aims to promote religious tolerance and create an environment conducive to reducing extremism in society. Once finalised, the policy will be submitted to the federal cabinet for approval.

The first formal National Commission for Minorities was established in May 2020 and completed its tenure in May 2023. However, delays in the bill`s passage have prevented the formation of a new commission.

The last NCM, chaired by local PTI leader Chela Ram Kewlani a businessman from Jamshoro and former president of the Pakistan Hindu Council comprised members from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Kalash as well as Muslim communities.

Separately, the Supreme Court established another minorities` commission in January 2019, headed by Dr Shoaib Suddle.

This one-member commission was formed to implement the apex court`s 2014 verdict on protecting minority rights.