[Pak Daily Times] Civil society organizations termed the minorities' representation in upcoming general elections as inappropriate, further alleging that the reserved seats for minorities are being sold out at hefty prices to affluent individuals. These views were expressed during a presser by Dr Sonu Kangrani of Pakistain Dalit Solidarity Network, Zahid Farooq of Urban Resource Centre and others at Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
Press Club (KPC), here on Thursday. The went on to explain that there are total 342 National Assembly seats, in which only 10 seats are reserved for minorities whereas only 4 out of 104 Senate seats are allocated for the minority groups.
The speakers informed that major political parties have nominated 71 minority members for the reserved seats and all seats are reportedly sold against donations. It has been learnt that a few affluent individuals belonging to minority groups have bought these seats at Rs 80 million each, they alleged. One should not expect any empathy for minority issues in such circumstances where parliaments' seats are bought and sold, they added. In this way minorities will remain to be deprived of actual representation in the electoral process.
According to the Election Commission; there are only 2.78 million registered voters within the minority groups. The civil society leaders said that this discrimination and social imbalance towards minorities has been clearly visible in a study conducted by Pakistain Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER). For the purpose of the study 50 interviews and four focused group discussions were conducted in Sindh and Punjab areas where minority representation is seen most.