Daily Times

The bewildered state of minorities reflects their muddled thinking on different issues of the social and political importance. Generation after generation, they face identical challenges of discrimination and persecution that started after the independence in 1947. The leaders representing minorities during the time of independence movement, soon after the partition, rationally acknowledged that Pakistan was not going to be a minority-friendly country, therefore, many known leaders either left the active politics or chose to move abroad.

Hindu and Christians were the leading minorities concentrated in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab. During the last seventy years, Hindu community was not led by any popular leader to bring them out of the mess they are in for the last 70 years. Amid the rare survival options, every year thousands of Hindu families flee to India, where because of untaught differences between two states, they are not welcomed gleefully, but being Pakistanis they suffer to face long investigations before obtaining citizenship. Yet, being the faith sharers, Pakistani Hindus take a sigh of relief after jumping out of Pakistani borders.

The reason is obvious, forced conversion, kidnapping, rape, home slavery, lack of education, the absence of health facilities and other social as well as constitutional discrimination cause social restlessness in the community. There are seven Hindu minority members from different political parties representing their community in the National Assembly but their community suffers the most in the Sindh province. Unlike Hindus, Christian minority has different social lacunas of hate and prejudice thus not treated equally too.

Elected members carry the burden of the voters whereas ‘selected’ ones are bound to appease their masters. Even 10 more members from the minority communities would not be able to make any difference. Their respective communities will remain in the same abyss of discrimination and social inequality

The strength of the Christian minorities lies in the church establishment. Before partition, Christian missionaries established a chain of Christian hospitals, schools, and college where the community was involved actively in making its future, further to that, contributing to the formation of the national society on the basis of equality. The nationalisation of missionary institutes in 1972 broke the backbone of the Christian minority.

A large number of highly skilled and educated class left the country in pursuit of safe future. But church in Pakistan still managed to re-gather its energies to establish new institutions. However, they lost the spirit and commitment to serve their communities but turned their institutions to commercialism which barred windows to their own community children. This has generated a wide gap between church and the congregation.

The community was no longer ambitious to keep sticking to the Church for the social needs rather they tried to find refuge in the political system. However, to their dismay, their hopes shattered when minority members of parliament in 1985 could not rescue their respective communities and this continued till 2002 when finally a new ‘selection system’ of minority representation was introduced by General Musharraf. Since then, minorities are demanding election with the double vote right to elect their representatives as well as members for the general seats.

Before 2013 general elections, minorities were hoping legislation for an improved electorate system during PPP government. In the present national assembly, there is no compact voice in favour of the electorate reforms for minorities. There is a move to raise the number of seats for minorities which will definitely appease a few individual but will not cater to the mega issues of minorities.

Elected members carry the burden of the voters whereas ‘selected’ ones are bound to appease their masters. Even 10 more members from these communities would not be able to make any difference. Their respective communities will remain in the same abyss of discrimination and social inequality. In the office files of minority members, there are a number of projects for minorities like scholarships, 5 per cent job quota, and development projects but in reality, developments are scarcely seen. Over the years, it has been observed that the electoral mechanism is not working but has served to worsen the condition of minorities.

Unless the manufacturing fault is resolved through legislation and minorities are given a right to elect their own representatives, their reservations will stand still. The additional number of minorities’ seats would not be a change to the system. In the current situation, socially and politically scattered minorities may not come together for one united voice to change the system but it is the responsibility of the government to grant the due rights of all communities living in the country even if they are unable to get their voices heard. The real democracy will prevail only when all sections of the society equally enjoy social and political rights.

There were great expectations that after the national census of 2017, a good enough number of minorities will appear in the national database. However, systematically, though potentially their number has increased, their percentage fixed at 3, the same percentage, as it was twenty years ago. Undoubtedly, this gives a sound ground to the government that with this small number of percentage of minorities, the present selection system is a viable constitutional option.

In civilised and modern states, constitutional covers ensure equal rights for all citizens and in the absence of such legislation, deprived sections suffer.  The success of a few individuals cannot be generalised to the masses. The fact cannot be denied that minorities face bitter social discrimination in Pakistan.

Their active political participation in the decision making process of the country will enhance their sense of patriotism.

Since independence, restlessness among minorities remained evident as right after partition minority leaders voluntarily left or were compelled to leave the country. In 1972, large number of educated Christians left their homeland. Every incident against minorities strengthens the feelings of fear and insecurity. Instead of raising the number of their reserved seats, minorities must be given a constitutional right to elect their representatives.

The writer can be reached at kaleem.dean@mail.com

Published in Daily Times, October 29^th 2017.