There was thus a need to devise a new social contract for the people to accommodate and preserve the interests and wellbeing of all citizens irrespective of their caste, creed, religion or any other social, political and cultural identity. Ahmad Salim, a historian and scholar, was of the view that to create a pluralistic and inclusive society, discriminations and biases against religious minorities must be removed at every level, including from the Constitution. He said that the new social contract should be based on the concept of equal rights and equal citizenship for all Pakistanis. ‘Coalition for Inclusive Pakistan’ launchedHe reminded that Pakistani society was natively pluralist, but hate was injected by some with vested interests who wanted to strengthen their own illegitimate rule. Bashir demanded that the legal and constitutional discrimination and hate speeches against the religious minorities must stop to make Pakistan a pluralistic society.

Source: The Express Tribune January 02, 2018 06:00 UTC