ISLAMABAD: Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights, Azam Nazeer Tarar, has announced that Pakistan would “soon” establish the National Commission for the Rights of Minorities, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.

Non-Muslims constitute about three percent of Pakistan’s estimated population of 240 million people. Pakistan’s minority communities complain of facing discrimination in nearly all walks of life and regularly come under attack by militant groups. They have also sometimes been accused of blasphemy, which is punishable by death in the South Asian nation.

Speaking at a Christmas celebration event in Islamabad, Tarar said the draft for the establishment of the commission had been formulated in consultation with minority representatives from Pakistan’s parliament and civil society, and approved by a cabinet committee, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“The government wants to make the commission more independent which will serve [as] an effective platform for addressing grievances and promoting inclusivity,” the law minister was quoted as saying.

“We have ensured a balanced representation of all minorities and non-minorities in Pakistan.”

Tarar noted that the Constitution of Pakistan clearly stated that Pakistan “belongs to all of us while our identity and pride lie in being Pakistanis,” according to Radio Pakistan.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Adviser on Political Affairs and Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Rana Sanaullah, chaired a meeting in Islamabad to review the National Commission for Minorities Bill 2024.

“The commission will consist of 13 members, 9 of whom will be from minority communities,” the Pakistani ministry of religious affairs said in a statement.

A new interfaith harmony policy for promoting religious tolerance was also reviewed at the meeting, the ministry added.