PTI minority candidate 'will close wine shops' if victorious

Christian candidate says Imran Khan believes that everyone is equal.

KARACHI: If miracles do take place on May 11 and Amir Sharjil clinches MQM’s home seat of NA-246, he would become the first non-Muslim candidate on a general seat to sit on the parliamentary benches in the National Assembly.

The lone non-Muslim candidate from Karachi contesting for elections on a political party ticket, has been awarded one by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, a party widely believed to be ring wing and conservative.

“People call us supporters of the Taliban. If we were really with the militants, would they have awarded the ticket to me, a Christian?” exclaims the 40-year-old contestant at a restaurant in Saddar.

On the last day of campaigning, the man was preparing to step into his constituency, a daunting task for him where the MQM has its head quarters Nine Zero.

A tax accountant by profession, Sharjil says that it was his choice to step up from this constituency, where the Christians have barely a hundred votes.

“I have lived in Aisha Manzil for nearly 30 years, and know the area and its problems quite well,” said the French bearded man, dressed in a light colored shirt.

Despite knowing that he stands few chance of winning against the MQM candidate of Nabil Gabol, he claims he has already won by making his presence in the area.

In his constituency of NA-246 lies the MQM headquarters Nine Zero, almost all of Liaquatabad and parts of Gulberg.

Being a Christian and getting a ticket on merit by the party, Sharjil feels honored that he was awarded a party ticket. “Christians only get chance to stand as independent candidates or on reserved seats, because political parties dont consider us equal.”

In his childhood, Sharjil who did his schooling from St Pauls High School, never faced religious intolerance and discrimination as common today. A Bcom graduate, he has also studied at the Institute of taxation management in PECHS. The profession of taxing attracted him when in 9th grade when a notice landed on his threshold, asking him to declare the source of his income or there would be taxes leveled against us. “I fought the case and won, and since then I have been interested in this.”

It was in 2010 when Sharjil joined the PTI at their rally against drone strikes at Native Jetty bridge. “I had been monitoring them for long and saw that they always stood against corrupt and powerful people.”

While many Christians are active supporters of the MQM, Sharjil feels that political parties force the poor to support them. “Our community is already living below the poverty line, and when someone forces them to join their rally by showing them a gun, they give in.”

Sharjil says that PTI believes in equality amongst all and initially had no minority wing. It was formed later on the wishes of the Christians in Lahore. “Khan Sahib says that there are no minorities. Everyone is equal. Everyone is a Pakistani.”

If he lands up into the assembly, he has big plans for his community. He wants to raise the status of the St Josephs and St Patricks College to universities. He wants to shut down all wine shops in the city as he says drinking is prohibited in Christianity. He wants the misuse of the blasphemy law to end, and that registering FIR should only be in the hands of the court. He will also hold accountability of Christian missionaries and departments. He also wants Christians to be given proper jobs in government departments and not that of a sweeper.

And for the people of the constituency, whom he believe ‘are not free’ and have no freedom of expression, he will work in restoring the encroached parks and buildings to their original status.

To campaign in the MQM stronghold, Sharjil avoids door to door campaign and relies on polling camps set up across in the area. “It is difficult to campaign when our banners and posters are torn down, but we tolerate all this,” he smiles.