Daily Times

LAHORE: Christian Democratic Party (CDP) Chairman Ben-Hur Yousaf Gillhas issued a statement to categorically boycott electoral system of local bodies election in Punjab.

There will be no credibility of local bodies (LG) polls without the participation of religious minorities, especially Pakistani Christians, Ben-Hur said.

“There is no second opinion, LG polls are basic democracy from where leadership is raised. In case of imposed ‘selection not election’ on the reserved seats for Non-muslim in the local bodies election, our leadership is crushed in the outset,” Ben-Hur remarked.

Unfortunately, nobody consider the real issues of religious minorities, the current discriminatory electoral system of local bodies election is a conspiracy of rulers against the peaceful and patriotic Pakistani Christians, he maintained.

Current electoral system of local bodies is discriminatory, ineffective and grave violation of article 226 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which says, “All elections under the Constitution, other than those of the prime minister and the chief minister, shall be by secret ballot,” Ben-Hur stated.

“Current discriminatory local bodies election will create more political and social slaves because, so-called representatives of religious minorities will remain at the mercy of their political lords, he regretted.

The current electoral system of local bodies is also conflicted with the article 140/A of the constitution of Pakistan. It is also a grave violation of constitutional article 36 which says, “The state shall safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of minorities, including their due representation in the federal and provincial services, the CDP chairman said.

However, in political system of Pakistan, the fundamental, constitutional, religious and social rights of Non-muslims are being violated since long and still continuing day by day with political and constitutional discrimination and injustices, he lamented. Coward rulers want to keep peaceful, unarmed and patriotic religious minorities, specially Pakistani Christians their political and social slaves through their conspiracy of current discriminatory and ineffective electoral system of local bodies election of Punjab, he said.

“Rulers want to keep us always at their door steps. They have even introduced selection rather than following constitutional provision of elections on the reserved seats for religious minorities, women, labour and youth, Ben-Hur said

There is a mindset in Pakistan against religious minorities which want to subdue and dominate minorities, especially Christians through constitutional injustice and electoral discriminations, he added.

In views of this, Christian Democratic Party categorically boycott LG polls in Punjab” which are bent upon political barrenness of religious minorities through the conspiracy of discriminatory elections based on selection, he remarked.

Ben-Hur said double standards of the rulers are evident from the fact that they have accepted former president General Musharraf’s electoral system of general election, as it is; and have imposed it on the non-muslims of Pakistan.

Christian Democratic Party (CDP) demands Election Commission of Pakistan, judiciary, the ruling political parties and all the concerned power corridors that religious minorities of Pakistan be given their constitutional and political rights for elections according to article 226 of the constitution of Pakistan.