"Keeping Hindus deprived of representation in the assemblies puts the politicians’ commitment
in question," SCRM president Guru Sukhdev. PHOTO: FILE
The Scheduled Caste Rights Movement has demanded that the government allot land to the scheduled caste minorities for housing.
The demand was raised during the All Pakistan Schedule Cast Hindu Conference held in Rahim Yar Khan on Saturday.
Representatives of the Pakistan Scheduled Caste Organisation, some former members of the Punjab Assembly from the region and members of the district council were attended the conference.
Addressing the conference, SCRM Chairman Ramesh Jaipaal said that despite the chief minister’s assurances during his last visit to the area, residents of Chak 83/P, Chak 89/P and some other villages were being threatened by their landlords and told to evacuate the area.
He said Christian graveyards in Chak 147/P, Basti Daga, Khanpur and Liaquatpur had been razed since they had been built on agricultural land.
On political representation
Jaipaal also demanded an increase in political representation of minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.
He thanked the government for increasing seats reserved for minorities in the National Assembly from 10 to 14 and in Punjab Assembly from eight to 10, in Sindh Assembly from nine to 12 and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from three to four. Jaipaal, however, requested for an increased representation- equivalent to the minorities population.
SCRM president Guru Sukhdev said that keeping Hindus deprived of representation in the assemblies put the democratic commitment of all political parties in question.
He said there were 63,500 registered Hindu voters in Rahim Yar Khan, but there was no representative in the assembly.
On forced conversions
SCRM member Bhaya Ram Anjum expressed his apprehensions about forced conversion of Hindus in some parts of Pakistan.
Quoting from a speech Quaid-i-Azam made on August 11, 1947, Anjum said that every citizen would be free to visit a mandir, a church or a mosque and practice his religion.
He said it was unfortunate that young Hindu girls were abducted and forced to convert to Islam after being forced to marry Muslim men.
“Islam is not a religion that condones this. A non-Muslim can embrace Islam at his free will, but force in this matter will not be tolerated anymore.”
He demanded that the government set up a commission to investigate such complaints.
Kanji Raam, member of the district advisory committee, said that minorities faced prejudice at government offices and hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2013.
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