LUCKNOW, Oct. 19 -- The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has urged the central government to form a separate committee, similar to the Sachar Committee, to assess the socio-economic condition of Shia Muslims across the country. The demand was made during the board's executive meeting held at Shia College in Lucknow on Saturday under the chairmanship of Maulana Syed Saem Mehdi.

Addressing the meeting, general secretary Maulana Yasoob Abbas said government welfare schemes meant for Muslims rarely reach the Shia community. "Our community is a minority within a minority and remains deprived of the benefits extended in the name of Muslims," he said.

The Sachar Committee, formed in 2005 under the leadership of former Chief Justice R...