Many challenges hinder the representation of minorities in the elected bodies,” says Samar Naz, a 40-year-old civil rights activist, from Narowal. He has been advocating for greater participation and representation of minorities for several years.

“The biggest problem in Narowal for the Christians community is that despite having a significant vote bank, they are not represented by a Christian MPA. There is no representation of the Christian community from Narowal in the National Assembly or the Provincial Assembly. As a result, issues affecting the community are not raised effectively.”

“There have been allegations of discrimination against religious communities. The minority communities in Narowal can identify several issues but those are not addressed by the governments because we lack an elected representative. For example, we have repeatedly complained about the sewerage system affecting our community in the main city, but no remedial action has been taken.”

Mukhtar Bibi, 45, shares similar concerns. She highlights the lack of job opportunities in the city, noting that most of her family members work in the sanitation sector. She says due to low wages, their children do not have access to quality education and healthcare.

The limited representation of Christian and Hindu minorities in political offices and development projects also impairs their ability to advocate for their rights. 10 seats in the National Assembly and 23 in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab are reserved for minority citizens. However the seats are filled under a proportional representation system so that the nominees of major political parties doing well in the election to the general seats get ‘elected’.

Ramesh Singh Arora, from Narowal, was elected to a reserved seat in the Provincial Assembly for the 2013-2018 term, becoming the first Sikh parliamentarian in the provincial legislature since independence. In 2020, he was again ‘elected’ after a seat reserved for non-Muslims became vacant due to the death of an incumbent. During his tenure, he spoke on several human rights issues and worked on the Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act 2018.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Census 2017, there are 75,820 Christians, 1,254 Hindus, 10,855 Ahmadis and 60 Scheduled Castes people in the Narowal district. As of June 2022, ECP data shows a total of 39,497 minority voters in Narowal district: about 29,668 in Narowal city, 5,520 in the Shakargarh tehsil and 4,290 in Zafarwal tehsil.

Ratan Lal, the Pak Dharmasthan Committee president and a former member of the Narowal district council, says: “The Hindu community in Narowal is marginalized. Their voices and problems go unheard. We have taken our issues to everyone from the government to non-government human rights organisations and the local administration, but no action has been taken. There are 45 temples in Narowal, but not a single functional one for performing religious rituals.”

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Census 2017, there are 75,820 Christians, 1,254 Hindus, 10,855 Ahmadis and 60 Scheduled Castes people in Narowal district.

“We are loyal citizens of Pakistan. We never went away. We are only asking for our fundamental rights. We should not be treated as secondary citizens. There is a large Hindu community in Shakargarh-Narowal. Former politicians and administrations made promises to us but did not fulfill those. If we cannot have functioning temples in Narowal, the government should at least ensure proper facilities for our cremation so we that can mourn and perform our last rites in peace.”

Lal is also critical of the selection process in most political parties. He says that reserved seat members often do not feel accountable to the community they nominally represent. “They cannot act without the permission of those who brought them into office. They are mostly picked for their wealth and willingness to donate for the party.”

Ahmad Iqbal, a former chairman and mayor of the Narowal district council, says that the seats reserved for the representation of minority communities are not distributed district wise. “Had there been a seat allocated for the district or the tehsil, it would have likely gone to Christian community of Narowal who have more votes in the area. I support direct election for minority seats. The reserved seat candidates should campaign alongside those seeking general seats. There is a need to reform the electoral law for reserved seats to ensure genuine political leadership for minorities. The lack of popular accountability allows the same individuals to retain the seats irrespective of their performance and voter satisfaction. This needs to change. Minorities members deserve the same rights, respect and stature as general seat MPAs and MNAs.”

Iqbal says that over the past decade, minority communities in Narowal, particularly the Christian community, have done well. They are better educated, aware and socially active. “They are now an important part of the electoral calculus and aspire to have their voice heard in the corridors of power.”

Akmal Bhatti, an advocate and chairman of the Minority Alliance Pakistan, says: “The citizens have a fundamental right to elect their representatives. Selection by party leaders is unfair because the candidates then get chosen without considering their public profiles. Some politicians tend to select candidates from among those close to them. This practice allows some candidates to remain in office for 15-20 years without establishing transparent merit. This is against the spirit of the constitution.”

He says he supports direct election for minority seats, greater representation in both the National and Provincial Assemblies, and the creation of separate constituencies for minorities. “This is the only way to ensure that capable individuals can reach the assemblies and effect legislative change. The current members represent their party leadership and not the people.”

The writer is a freelance journalist. She tweets @SaBa_Ch