Daily Times

KHAIRPUR: The Marvi Rural Development Organization (MRDO) on Sunday conducted an awareness session entitled ‘Voters Education and Mobilisation’ in Khairpur to raise awareness for protecting rights of minorities and significance of casting votes in the upcoming general election-2018.

Reportedly, the MRDO in collaboration with DAI-Tabeer briefed the participants regarding the current political scenario that prevails in the country and the electoral process with an aim to educate them for exercising their right to vote.

Meanwhile, several members of minority faiths including Christians, Hindus and Sikhs expressed grave concerns over a long ‘legal’ tradition of undermining their political and civil rights.

“We want elections, not selections. According to the Constitution of Pakistan, all citizens are equal without any discrimination on religious, colour, caste or creed basis” they asserted adding that minorities are 25% of the total population of Pakistan, but unfortunately only 3% of them were registered.

They said that Pakistan still refuses to integrate minorities in its political structure while minorities rendered sacrifices.

They maintained that minorities were being deprived of their fundamental rights, and suffered discriminatory laws.

Earlier, Altaf Somroo, a MRDO representative, shared his views by shedding light on the objectives of the seminar, and said that minorities play a very critical role in all spheres of society, and hence they must be allowed to participate in the electoral process.

Rabinder Parkash, a teacher by profession, shared his views and said “According to the Constitution of Pakistan, individuals belonging to minorities can contest elections for the general seats of assembly, and they can also vote Muslim candidates, but they cannot elect parliamentarians belonging to minority faiths, who are supposed to represent them in the assemblies.”

The participants urged the government to formulate and establish a joint electoral system for an equal representation of minorities in the assemblies.

They lamented that under current system, seats reserved for minorities are used as a tool for victorious parties to pick ‘yes-men’, who in fact are not their true representatives.

“The current system does not allow minorities to contest and elect their representatives,” they said.

Salman Ali, the programmes manager asserted that minorities can get rid of religious discrimination and social, economic and political segregation, only if they raise their voices.

“Minorities should use a weapon of vote, sensitise communities regarding importance of vote and then chose a right person,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, July 16^th 2018.