Pak minorities still await dual voting rights

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Pakistan's complicated electoral system is posing threat to the minority communities as they still wait to get their dual voting rights or elect their own representatives in the assembly.

Though it was announced numerous times by the subsequent governments that religious minorities of Pakistan would be given right to dual vote, it never became effective in its true spirit.

The Constitution of Pakistan allows only Muslim leaders of mainstream political parties to decide the fate of non-Muslim representatives in the assemblies, the Daily Times reports.

According to the official data of the Election Commission of Pakistan, all the religious minorities constitute 2.78 million registered voters in Pakistan.

Still, they cannot vote for their own minority candidates, which are supposed to represent them in the assemblies.

In fact, the assembly members on minority seats are selected after taking huge bribes, and as a result, only the well-off members enter the upper and lower houses, and not the ones who really intend to do something for their community, the report added.

There are Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, Ahmedis and even Bahais living in Sindh, but only the Hindus, who have the biggest religious minority community in the province, have representation in the provincial house, the report added.

Still, the basic issues faced by Hindus, such as forced conversion, kidnapping for ransom, marriage act, family law, lack of the development schemes, jobs in public sector and discrimination on the basis of their religion always remain unsolved.

Christians have also been facing insecurity, allegations of blasphemy and other issues from several decades, the report added.