SCAM ???

Christians are facing discrimination in Pakistan since its inception, and then the tyranny of their own leaders who are not their true representatives but the supporters and promoters of their own parties. True and honest leaders of Christians are the ones who live among them and those who have social connections with their community i.e. Christians.

All parties including PPP, PML N and F and MQM have ignored Christian representatives while awarding their tickets for the reserved seats. They had given their tickets to those who have no or less social connections with Christians. The awards of tickets for reserved seats have become a business of political parties and millions of rupees are involved in this business. The ECP should ensure that the reserved seats list was prepared by parties on merit and the nominations reflected the population ratio of Christians. A committee should be constituted to probe this matter and a new list of candidates should be prepared.

Christians of Pakistan have suffered badly during these years due to unfair practices relating to their representation in the elected houses. Many candidates could not get into the elected houses because they do not have money to buy party tickets. It is observed that usually tickets for reserved seats are given to some particular Christians. Akram Gill, who have been selected as a MNA for 10 years and Shahbaz Bhatti whose so called party have always promoted its own MNAs and now his imported brother who is imposed on Christians, does not have any social connection with Christians neither he know anything about their problems and issues. How can a representative who got his Computerised National Identification Card after 37 years on his return from Italy understand the issues of Christians? This leads us to think that only those candidates can get the party tickets who are rich enough to buy one.

Big populations of Christians is still poor and failed to get their pressing issues resolved during these years and are still facing discrimination in educational and health sectors as well as other fields only because the minority lawmakers were not their true representatives, even constitutional rights of Christians could not be given to them.

Christians should be given dual voting right so that they could get reserved seats in addition to general seats. All political parties of Pakistan have ignored the majority segment of Christians to as their handpicked candidates from their own parties and this selection process keeps them absolutely unaware of the real issues of Christians because they know that they are not the one who has selected them.

Christians Demands Right to Cast Dual Vote

Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s constitutional guidelines of August 11, 1947, lie buried in the debris of opportunist constitutionalism and repeated inventive nationalism that does not treat religious minorities at par with the majority community. Yet, as a silver lining, it is still possible to redress many imbalances under the aegis of the political parties, the Election Commission of Pakistan and the higher judiciary.Though the 1998 census puts the religious minorities of Pakistan at 3.86%, the population today can be estimated at 6,665,093. Yet, considering the demographic spread, the analysis of the electoral rolls and past elections, depict an entirely different picture. Christians varying of 8.7% population is mostly concentrated in Islamabad, Punjab, Karachi and Quetta.Under the article 36 of the constitution, the state is obliged to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of minorities and presently under Article 51(4), ten seats are reserved for non- Muslims in the National Assembly. These seats are reserved for minorities in which the representatives are selected (not elected) by the political party which is in Majority. An example of that was Mr. Paul Bhatti who was a citizen of Italy for 37 years, he later came to Pakistan, obtained an identity card of the Country and became Federal Minister of Minorities. Was it necessary to appoint a foreigner as a Federal Minister of Minorities? Is there no leader in Pakistan from minorities? The system of reserved seats is unjust and is being enforced on minorities of Pakistan. Minorities particularly Christians need right to cast dual vote.Given an opportunity, the non – Muslims are capable of fielding candidates on general seats and capable of winning them in approximately 10 seats all over Pakistan; provided the political parties show the conviction and courage of fielding them. Alternatively, if properly utilized, they have the capability in these constituencies to swing results.We do not expect our problems to vanish over night nor are we seeking direct confrontation with the Government of Pakistan or for that matter the Muslim population. All we want is Justice and equal rights as Pakistanis, as enshrined in the Constitution of both Pakistan and the United Nations. We on our part are willing to cooperative with the government in making Pakistan a peaceful, progressive and developed nation provided we are treated as citizens with equal rights. The general attitude of the Christians is that of hopelessness, despair and if they could, they would love to depart Pakistan. Unfortunately that cannot happen, so the only final hope we Christians have is to look forward to United Nations and International/National Human Rights organizations’ assistance to improve our Quality of Life, where we can lead meaningful and decent lives without the constant fear of discrimination of one type or another.