Religious Minority Voices Demand Enhanced Representation In Elections

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"Currently, parliamentary parties can elect minority representatives based on personal preferences, leading to disappointment among unelected minority candidates, who accuse political parties of disregarding merit"

2024-09-03T17:40:00+05:00 Aneela Ashraf

“In Pakistan, the time has come to allocate seats for minorities based on population and to give minority communities the right to elect their representatives directly through their votes,” says Shamoo Lal, a social & political worker of the Hindu community from South Punjab.

According to him, the Hindu Council Pakistan has been struggling for the last ten years to allocate seats for minorities based on population and to give double voting rights to the minority communities like those in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The double voting rights mean that they can vote for a candidate in general seats (usually such tickets are given by political parties), and also for one on reserved seats. Shamoo Lal states that more than 6% of Pakistan's total population consists of minorities, yet the reserved seats for these groups have not been increased in a long time, despite the growing minority population. Meanwhile, the Government of Pakistan has increased general seats due to overall population growth. Shamoo Lal views this as a double standard.

According to Article 33 of Pakistan's constitution, parliamentary parties can elect minority representatives based on personal preferences, leading to disappointment among unelected minority candidates, who accuse political parties of disregarding merit.

After gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan's original vision included a secular state where minority rights were protected. However, over the decades, religious and ethnic minorities—including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, and the Ahmadiyya community—have faced increasing marginalisation. Today, these communities collectively make up nearly 10% of Pakistan's population but lack proportional representation in political offices.

Pakistan's political system is inherently disadvantageous for minorities. Minority candidates struggle to win seats in general constituencies because the majority of voters are Muslims, who are unlikely to vote for them.

Additionally, legal provisions like the separate electorates system have been both a benefit and a burden. While it allows minority communities to elect their representatives, it also isolates their political influence and ensures that elected minority representatives have minimal impact on broader policy decisions.

Before 1997, minority candidates participated in the direct election process, with Muslim and non-Muslim electorates being separate, allowing religious minorities to elect their own representatives. However, the government of former President General Musharraf introduced new election laws in 2000

Socioeconomic barriers further exacerbate the disenfranchisement of minority communities. Many minority groups face systemic poverty, limited educational opportunities, and restricted access to essential services, which diminishes their political activism and the viability of their candidates. Discrimination in employment and social services often forces minority communities into insular, self-reliant modes of existence, concentrating their voting power in specific regions but diluting their influence on a national level.

Religious intolerance and occasional violence against minority communities significantly hinder their political participation. Incidents of violence, such as attacks on places of worship and communal riots, create climates of fear and insecurity. Minority voters and candidates may be intimidated or discouraged from participating in elections due to potential repercussions. The lack of legal protection and swift justice reinforces the perception of state apathy or complicity, further discouraging political engagement.

The Election Commission initially demarcated constituencies on 5 August 2022. However, following the publication of the results from the first digital census by the Pakistan Statistical Institute, the Election Commission had to redefine the constituencies in accordance with the law. Under the new delineations, the total number of seats in the National Assembly has been reduced from 342 to 336, combining reserved and minority seats.

According to Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 10 seats are reserved for non-Muslims in the National Assembly. Similarly, minorities are represented by 4 seats in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 8 seats in the Punjab Assembly, 9 seats in the Sindh Assembly and 3 seats in the Balochistan Assembly.

Before 1997, minority candidates participated in the direct election process, with Muslim and non-Muslim electorates being separate, allowing religious minorities to elect their own representatives. However, the government of former President General Musharraf introduced new election laws in 2000, which established a joint electoral system for the minority community, known as the one-ballot system. This system meant that the minority community would not cast votes separately but would use the white and green ballot papers provided by the Election Commission. Voters would cast their ballots for the National Assembly candidates on white papers and for the MPA from their residential constituency on green papers. Despite the reserved seats for minorities, parliamentary parties were given the right to directly elect women and minority representatives based on their success ratio, and this system remains in place.

Shamu Lal laments that despite a long political and social struggle, he was still not selected for a specific seat from any political party. As a result, the true representatives of minorities are not elected, and their voices do not reach the assemblies. This has led to the Christian and Hindu communities in South Punjab suffering from a lack of infrastructure and development funds. The Hindu community is unable to perform last rites according to their faith due to a lack of space, while Sikhs are forced to travel long distances for marriage and other religious rituals.

Abid Pall, a representative of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, notes that civil society organisations and international actors play crucial roles in advocating for minority rights and fostering inclusive political environments. Pakistani NGOs focused on human rights have campaigned for electoral reforms and greater protections for minorities. International organisations and foreign governments often apply diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to uphold minority rights as part of broader human rights obligations. However, such efforts need to be consistent and concerted to yield tangible outcomes.

Faisal Mehmood, Regional Coordinator for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, emphasises that comprehensive electoral reforms are essential to ensuring the political inclusion of minority communities. These reforms should include the implementation of a proportional representation system, enhanced legal protections, educational and economic empowerment, and the widespread promotion of civic education and awareness.

According to data from the Election Commission of Pakistan, the number of minority voters in 2018 exceeded 3.63 million, compared to over 2.77 million in the electoral lists for the 2013 general elections. The enrollment of 1 million additional non-Muslim voters increased the minority vote. As of August 2022, the number of registered voters from the minority community stood at approximately 4,112,761. However, despite this growth, the 10 seats allocated for minority representation in the National Assembly since 1985 have not been increased. In 2013, Dr. Ramesh Kumar, a minority Member of the National Assembly, presented an amendment bill in the National Assembly that called for direct elections to reserved seats and an increase in minority seats. This bill was presented five times in the National Assembly but failed to gain approval.

Former Member of the Provincial Assembly Punjab Mahendar Pal Singh says that while the path to representative democracy in Pakistan is fraught with challenges, there remains potential for positive change.
"The growing youth population, increased access to digital media, and heightened international focus offer unique opportunities to amplify minority voices," he opines. In his view, incremental progress in electoral reforms, combined with strong civil society advocacy and international support, can pave the way for a more inclusive political landscape in Pakistan.

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