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Muslims call for inclusive statute
KATHMANDU, APR 04 -
Leaders of the Muslim community on Sunday warned that they will carry out protests if the government fails to address their four-point demand that includes the demand that the Muslim community should be clearly mentioned in the new constitution.
Speaking at a programme organised by the Joint Muslim National Struggle Committee (JMNSC) on Friday, Taj Mohammad Miya, coordinator of the committee, said though the government has said it will address the demands put forth by the Muslim community time and again, it has failed to come up with any initiative.
"We are planning to organise picketing programmes at Singhadurbar and at the Office of the Prime Minister to pressurise the government to implement the demands forwarded by our committee," Miya said.
The other demands of committee are that the government guarantees the rights of Muslim communities, and that Muslim communities be empowered and developed. The committee also says the government and the Constituent Assembly must initiate necessary action to include the word ‘Muslim’ in the Interim constitution for proportional representation of Muslims in development activities.
JMNSC has also demanded the formation of a Muslim Commission as promised by the Prachanda-led Maoist government.
"The government has not implemented the six-point agreement made at last year’s ministerial meeting. Even the recently-formed 11 constitutional committees have not clearly mentioned the Muslim community in the Interim Constitution," said Hasina Miya Khatun, CPN-UML lawmaker.
The committee said that its other demands include amending the Interim Constitution to make provisions for Muslims similar to other disadvantaged groups like women, Dalits, and ethnic communities.
"We want an amendment to the provision and urge the government to include Muslims as a separate group among disadvantaged communities," said Akhtar Ansari, member of the committee. He also said that the committee has demanded proportional representation of Muslims in state mechanisms.
Posted on: 2010-04-05 07:35
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