The upcoming LG polls will not see many people from minority groups stepping up to the plate as both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) did not consider them for any top slot tickets.
The two major political parties of the country ignored Christians, Hindus and other minorities as potential candidates. Neither the ruling PML-N nor PTI have non-Muslims candidates on their tickets for the slots of chairman and vice-chairman.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is taking the lead and has awarded tickets to minorities for the slot of chairman and vice-chairmen.
Ironically, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which is considered far more conservative than PTI and PML-N, is running one non-Muslim candidate i.e. Jamil Khokhar for the slot of vice-chairman from G-7/2. Khokhar is also the president of the party’s Islamabad minority wing.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PPP senior leader Faisal Sakhi Butt said that PPP was the only party, which awarded tickets to minorities for all positions, including chairman and vice-chairman.
He said that minorities contested on PPP’s tickets from G-8 both on chairman and vice-chairman seats, whereas another minority candidate was vying for the slot of vice-chairman from I-9.
Faisal said that PPP is the only party, which has always held non-Muslims in high esteem and given them their due and deserving status.
PML-N senior leader Anjum Aqeel, whose party did not award a ticket to anyone from a minority for the top slots, said that the PML-N awarded tickets to deserving candidates after through consultation.
He said that non-Muslims were not given tickets for the position of chairman and vice-chairman because these were responsible posts, and only well-educated candidates were fielded.
Christian Progressive Movement leader Naila Dayal said that the party did not field any candidate in the LG polls in the federal capital due to their bitter experience of the past.
Naila said that though they were staunch nationalists they had a serious identity crisis because they were being treated like second-class citizens.
Lashing out at the selection criteria, she suggested that non-Muslims should be given the right to elect their representatives. She said that often selfish and greedy sycophants are selected, who are least concerned about the problems being faced by their communities.
It is pertinent to mention here that ten seats in the 50 UCs have been reserved for non-Muslim minorities with another 11 reserved for women. Of the 50 UCs in the federal capital, 23 lie within the confines of NA-48, while 27 are located in NA-49.
