Cantonment elections: ‘Minorities being marginalised’

Representatives suggest dual votes for due representation.

RAWALPINDI: Representatives of religious minorities expressed concern over the government decision to keep them away from the recent local government elections in cantonment boards.

They demanded that the government issue a separate notification setting up elections for minorities in cantonment areas.

An official of the election commission said elections for minorities would be held later in cantonment areas where a candidate would be elected from each area.

“Elections for minority candidates in cantonments would be held under a separate electorate soon,” he said.



The notification issued by the Ministry of Defence regarding holding of elections mentions only four categories: women, workers, youth and peasants.

Referring to the notification, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Tariq Christopher Qaiser said “it was either negligence or lack of trust in minorities”.

Talking to The Express Tribune, he said minorities have been facing problems due to former president Pervez Musharraf’s Proportionate Representation Act 2002. “I even raised the issue on floor of the house today. We were excluded because our loyalties are being doubted,” he retorted.

He said he introduced a bill to rectify this mode of elections for minorities but the standing committee rejected the move within 45 minutes saying it would address the issue later.

“We have serious reservations over not being included in the recent elections as well as rejection of the bill,” he said.

Non-Muslim voters felt left out of the electoral process. Voters in the Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments criticised the government for neglecting them.

“We too are part of this nation, equally loyal and serving more than others so should we be marginalised on basis of our religion,” said Eric Gill, a resident of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board.

“It seems we are aliens in our own country. We are sons and daughters of the soil and demand equal treatment, constitutional, legal and fundamental rights,” commented All Pakistan Hindu Sikh Welfare Council President Jag Mohan Kumar Arora.

Moreover, he added that Hindus would be further marginalised again as members of the Christian community, who have more voters, would nominate their own candidates and elect them.

He said the marginalisation was purely on religious grounds so the government should understand that Christianity, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism are different religions and followers of all these religions should be treated equally.

“Even in this case, the government deceives us by categorising us as minorities. What we demand is that all religions should be accommodated in the decision-making process to create a sense of ownership among them,” he commented.

Member National Assembly Dr Ramesh Kumar, when contacted, also held the same views and suggested that “Members of the minority should be given the right of dual vote — one for general and one for the election candidate of their own community — if the government wants to improve the condition of minorities”.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2015.