PAKISTAN: Christians can participate in elections
PAKISTAN Christians Prepare For Local Elections Based On Joint Electorate
Peter Jacob, executive secretary
of the Pakistan Catholic bishops' National Commission for Justice and
Peace, told UCA News the Church is encouraging religious minorities
in predominantly Muslim Pakistan to take an active part in the three-phased
elections starting in August. Moreover, "the commission will monitor
the whole process of the elections and will see the participation of
minorities," he said.
One thing the commission will look
for is whether the voter lists used are the new ones, based on joint
electorates, or old ones from elections based on separate electorates.
The schedule for the coming elections, as announced on June 30, calls
for voting in three phases -- on Aug. 18, Aug. 25 and Sept. 29.
Under the joint electorate, restored
in 2002 by President General Pervez Musharraf, Muslims and religious
minority community members can run and vote for any general seat. Before,
members of the minority groups could vote only for members of their
own group to fill a few reserved seats. Muslims form more than 95 percent
of Pakistan's 160 million people.
For the coming elections, minority
members have the right to contest all general seats. Additionally, special
groups -- laborers, religious minorities, women -- will have reserved
seats in the various local government councils.
Irfan Barkat, a staff member of
the bishops' justice and peace commission, which is based in Lahore,
270 kilometers southeast of Islamabad, told UCA News it has a program
to encourage minority community members to take part in the elections
both as candidates and as voters.
The commission plans to monitor
the election process in 35 of the 110 districts across the country.
In each of the 35 districts, the commission has a five-member team that
has its own network in towns and villages. "The commission's desire
is that free and fair elections be held, so the commission will monitor
the election through this angle as well," Barkat added.
Other Christians and Christian organizations
also are encouraging minority community members to run in the elections.
Soba Bhatti, a Catholic social worker
from Hyderabad, about 1,400 kilometers southwest of Islamabad, told
UCA News she is mobilizing minority members to get their national identity
card if they do not have it, because Pakistanis need their card to vote.
Separate electorates were introduced
in 1979 by then-president Zia ul-Haq.
The last local elections were held
in 2001, on the basis of separate electorates, and minority communities
generally boycotted it in protest. The Christian Organizations for Social
Action in Pakistan, a coalition of Church-based NGOs, led the boycott
campaign. It claimed that about 90 percent of minority members, mainly
Christians and Hindus, boycotted that election.
This year's elections cover 6,040
union councils. Elections will also be held for town councils, "tehsil"
councils and district councils.
Pakistan is a federation of four
provinces that are divided into districts. A district is further subdivided
into tehsils. Tehsils may contain villages or municipalities. In rural
areas, the first tier of government is the union council that consists
of a group of villages. Union councils have 13 members.
The previous councils have been
dissolved ahead of the elections and replaced with administrators who
will work until new elected councils take office. According to updated
electoral rolls, 62.6 million registered voters are eligible to elect
representatives in the local government elections.
PA8528.1348 July 7, 2005