MULTAN City News

Minority bodies reject Punjab LG (Amend) Ord 2015
From Nadeem Shah
MULTAN: Minorities organisations striving for rights have unanimously demanded repeal of the Punjab Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance 2015, amended by the incumbent PML-N government, as “it fails to protect social and political rights of non-Muslims”.
Members of the Minority Rights Commission, National Commission on Justice and Peace, and Justice and Peace Commission, and other religious minority communities have jointly warned of launching a protest movement across Punjab for not repealing the biased ordinance, which lacked representation of minorities in local government.
The News conducted an opinion poll about minorities’ reservations on the amended LG Ordinance 2015. The three key minority forums condemned the induction of allegedly a biased LG Ordinance, as it did not allow them to elect their own representatives at the lowest tier of democratic system.
NCJP Executive Director Cecil Chaudhry said the Punjab government had made unacceptable amendments to the LG Ordinance 2015 in the last week despite protest from religious minorities. The amendments are in conflict to the true spirit of democracy, he claimed. He said implementation of the Ordinance and the selection process would badly affect the minority community and deny them their political rights and growth.
The Punjab government did not take minorities onboard and avoided addressing their concerns, which reflect the biasness and undemocratic approach of the government towards the rights of religious minorities, Cecil added.
He said the NCJP, an organisation of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, believes that the selection process of minority in local election will affect political growth and maturity. The right of free participation in elections in their respective union councils would have ensured social acceptance of minorities in society along with political space for the minority to secure national and provincial seats under the banner of political parties in the near future. The amendment is discriminatory because, according to it, the minority voters would not be allowed to elect their representatives according to their own choice. Minority Rights Commission Executive Director Fr. Younis Alam also rejected the Ordinance saying the provincial government has snatched the vote of power from minorities, labour class, farmers and women by adopting selection instead of election in the local governments.
He said the Punjab LG (Amend) Ord 2015 is an attempt to prevent political empowerment of marginalised groups. All other provinces have adopted the direct electoral system on reserved seats at union council level, he said. The minority voters already are not eligible to cast vote in favour of MPA and MNA candidates on reserved seats in general elections, he added. Younis termed the amended LG Ordinance unconstitutional and undemocratic.
Justice and Peace Commission-MSLCP Executive Secretary Hyacinth Peter said the Ordinance was a new systematic approach to make vulnerable community more vulnerable and to openly violate their basic political rights. Not giving vote right to religious minorities and electing their representatives indirectly was contradictory to the constitution and against democracy.
Meanwhile, the minority representatives of different political parties have devised an aggressive strategy regarding the biased amendment to Punjab LG Ordinance 2015 and decided to launch protest at all levels besides filing petitions in the courts and getting stay on the LG polls.
Multan Dioceses Bishop Benny Mario Travas told The News a crucial meeting of minority representatives belonging to different political parties was held and the participants unanimously urged the government for new demarcation of delimitations at division level with a special focus on south Punjab representatives and providing them with a free environment to participate in political process.
The south Punjab representatives have already been discriminated against in political process. Bishop Benny urged the government to give right to dual vote for minorities. He said the minorities’ representatives have rejected the amended Ordinance.
The Multan dioceses has constituted an action committee, headed by Bishop Benny Mario Travas, with Hyacinth Peter, Amir Naveed Jeewa, S John Peter, Emanuel Aasi, Abid Chand, Dharmendar Paal Singh, Sarfraz Clement, Saqib Dilawaiz, Patras Gill (Muzaffargarh), Ayub Ashraf, Aziz Johan Bhatti, Subedar Gulzar, DR Joseph Riaz, DR Fyyaz Anjum, Catherine Nazir and Shaukat Channan as its members. The committee would announce a future strategy soon.