Pakistani Minorities Fearful of Islamic Law  | 153 hits  LAHORE,
Pakistan, JUNE 24, 2003 ( Christians in Pakistan publicly
expressed their fears that approval of Islamic law in the
country's North West Frontier Province would violate the rights
of minorities.  They made their voice heard through a statement
issued today by the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC).  "The
assembly has passed the Shariah bill, but the people of
Pakistan, in general, and minorities of the NWFP in particular,
had their reservations about it and they are concerned," says
the statement, signed by Dominican Father Albert Youhanna,
executive of the justice commission, and Aftab Mughal, executive
secretary.  "It is also against the vision of the father of the
nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, which he expressed in the first
constituent assembly on Aug. 11, 1947, when he said that
religion is a personal matter and that the state has nothing to
do with one's faith, and that all citizens are equal," the
statement adds.  The provincial Parliament