Religious Freedom, Human Rights, and Business: Dr. Sikander Shah Speaks at Kinnaird College
On 25th February, 2025, Dr. Sikander Shah, Director of the Centre for Chinese Legal Studies (CCLS), Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL) at LUMS delivered an engaging talk at Nadira Hassan Law Department, Kinnaird College, on ‘Human Rights, Business and Faith’.
He introduced religious freedom as not only a human rights concern, but an economic issue. He highlighted the everyday issues religious minorities face in Pakistan; their legal disenfranchisement, and the commonplace discriminations that impact them.
He contrasted this with Pakistan's international legal obligations, citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. He went into detail regarding the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights 2011, stressing the responsibilities of both states and corporations in protecting against human rights abuses. He further highlighted the domestic laws that safeguard minority rights in Pakistan.
He closed his speech by giving several policy recommendations, in the form of legislative and policy reforms, that aimed to bring Pakistan's treatment of religious minorities up to the standard set by its international legal obligations.
His presentation was followed by Mr. Gregory and Dr. Christina Clarke of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation, who focused on the importance of cultivating an atmosphere of religious tolerance in the workplace.
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