The Minorities Alliance Pakistan and several allied minority rights organizations have urged the federal government to adopt sweeping constitutional reform as part of the proposed 28th Amendment Bill to strengthen protections for religious minorities, women and children.
Akmal Bhatti, chairman of MAP, told journalists in Islamabad that Pakistan cannot claim genuine pluralism while constitutional provisions bar non-Muslims from the highest offices and deny direct democratic representation to minority communities. He urged removal of religious qualifications for the offices of President and Prime Minister through amendments to Articles 41(2) and 91(3), saying meaningful constitutional reform must deliver equality before the law.
The reform package presented by MAP includes a proposal to prohibit the religious conversion of any person under 18 unless free and informed consent is recorded before a judicial magistrate. MAP also called for stronger protections to eliminate child marriage, including verified documentary age checks such as CNICs and NADRA birth certificates, and the use of government-appointed Medical Boards to resolve disputed cases while preserving the dignity and privacy of the child.
MAP pressed for changes to Articles 51 and 106 to allow direct elections for seats reserved for non-Muslims and women in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, and for a constitutional guarantee of a minimum five percent quota for religious minorities in federal and provincial government services and public educational institutions through amendment of Article 27. The coalition insists these measures are administratively feasible and would not impose a major new fiscal burden.
MAP representatives emphasized that the proposed constitutional reform aligns with Articles 20, 25, 35, 36 and 37 of Pakistan’s Constitution and reflects Pakistan’s obligations under international treaties including the ICCPR, CRC and CEDAW. International activist Joseph Janssen welcomed the initiative as a constructive step toward equal citizenship and noted the reforms would also signal compliance with international commitments tied to frameworks such as the EU GSP+ trade scheme.
Speakers at the National Press Club included Samson Salamat of Rawadari Tehreek, former Punjab MPA and Pakistan Minorities Alliance chairman Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, and Robin Daniel of the Minorities Rights Movement. Janssen urged the state to strengthen age verification and legal protections to end child marriage and forced conversions, recommending that any uncertainty in age determination be resolved in favor of treating the individual as a child.
MAP called on the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms to hold broad public consultations with minority communities, lawyers and civil society before finalising any amendment package, warning that constitutional reform without those voices risks deepening alienation. The proposals are expected to provoke significant political and public debate as lawmakers consider the 28th Amendment.
