Christian vote appears drifting towards PPP

LAHORE:

A 0.9 million-strong Christian community, mainly residing in central Punjab, forms the dominant minority within the province. Unlike the Sikhs and Hindus, who have a thin presence, the Christians are the focal minority group that election hopefuls hungrily seek out to help sweep them into parliament – since the 2002 general elections, their votes have played a vital role.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s former MPA Pervez Rafique has said that this time around Christians are determined to cast their vote in favour of the PPP.

According to him, previous polls have shown that the community casts votes keeping in view the national circumstances and the political parties’ policies towards minorities. In 2002, the Christians in Lahore supported Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran head Dr Tahirul Qadri, contesting on behalf of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek party. Then, in 2008, the Christian vote bank was split between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and both parties benefited from the group.

Various Christian leaders told The Express Tribune that, at present, the community resents PML-N’s rightwing policies and its nexus with religio-political parties. During the party’s five year tenure in the Punjab government, the Christian community faced a lot of hardships it had never faced before.

Christians were attacked and their properties set on fire in the Gojra incident in Faisalabad, the Joseph Colony episode in Lahore, and the Shanti Nagar ruckus in Khanewal. Furthermore, a Christian youth in Sialkot, imprisoned under Article 295 C, was killed in jail. As a protest, all houses of the Christian community were burnt. Additionally, the killing of two young Christians within the Faisalabad court premises fuelled feelings of bitterness towards the PML-N.

Elaborating more on why the community will vote for the PPP, Rafique said that the party’s slain governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, sacrificed his life for a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi. Furthermore, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by the Taliban, leading the community to further feel that PPP deserves their support the most.

However, a former PML-N MPA, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, suggested a different outcome. He said that although PPP may have the Christian support now, the PML-N knows how to purchase votes, through jobs and other lucrative giveaways. Moreover, many Christian colonies exist in the middle of posh areas, which makes managing, and ultimately pocketing, their votes much easier.

Other minorities

Sikh leader Sardar Bishon Singh said that it is unfortunate that no political party is willing to appoint members of his community as MNAs, due to pressure from security agencies. The establishment, according to him, has counselled these parties not to give any slots to Sikhs in the National Assembly and the Senate. In this way, Sikhs are being deprived of basic rights, he regretted.

Despite being as patriotic as Muslims in Pakistan, Sikhs are treated like Indian citizens, he said, adding that although the Evacuee Trust Property Board has been established to look after their lands and places of worship, no Sikh or Hindu has been appointed to the board thus far. Jarringly, retired generals usually hold key appointments, almost an implication that Sikhs or Hindus are a part of Indian forces, and generals have to remain at top positions to keep tabs.

Singh said the state should recognise their rights and show openness to pluralism. He expressed the hope that they will soon be appointed to the Parliament.

Additionally, only a nominal number of Hindus exist in Punjab. Although some reside in Bhel, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan, their votes are usually cast in accordance with the wishes of the local feudal chiefs.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2013.