KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, April 25, 2003: Hindus make up only a small fraction of Afghanistan’s predominately Muslim population of around 25 million, however a member of the Hindu minority has been appointed to a commission that will review a draft constitution for Afghanistan. Businessman Leek Raj will be the first non-Muslim participant in the 35-member Scrutinizing Commission. “The idea is to have every strata of the country represented in the work of the constitution,” said Sayed Fazi Akbar, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai. The commission, which already includes members of other minority groups and some women, is to canvas public opinion on a draft constitution due to be approved in October. “Hope has been created that our nation, with sincerity and honesty, can rebuild the country after the approval of the constitution,” said Vice-President Nimatuallah Shahrani, who heads the Constitution Commission that wrote the draft. Officials said the document would stress traditional Islamic values and democracy while emphasizing social justice, equal rights for ethnic groups and women’s rights.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike