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Christians lose out as minority seats are distributed for National Assembly.
CLAAS have voiced grave disappointment that only three seats have been allocated for Christians in Pakistan’s new National Assembly – only half the number of that were allocated in the 1973 elections. Of the three allocated members, one is unknown in Christian political circles, having been personally picked by the Pakistan Muslim League, without any consultation. CLAAS has also expressed “deep disappointment” that among the sixty seats earmarked for women, no Christians have bee adopted by the Muslim parties, to express the wishes of Pakistan’s 2 million-plus strong female Christian population.
Pakistan’s Election Commission announced the latest distribution of minority reserved seats on March 6th. Of the 342 seats in the National Assembly (272 of these are directly elected) 10 seats are reserved for religious minorities and 60 seats for women. These are filled using proportional representation by parties with over 5% of the national vote.
In 1973 elections, 6 seats were reserved for Christian candidates, this fell to 4 in 1985, and now 3 with the latest elections. This despite Christians being the largest religious minority in Pakistan; to adequately reflect Pakistan’s Christian population, there would need to be ten Christians in the assembly.
Speaking about the latest allocations, CLAAS Pakistan’s director Joseph Francis expressed his unhappiness at the latest allocation:
“The latest election results show that the people of Pakistan are hungry for change. It is time that the nation took positive steps to make this a nation that listened to the needs of all of its citizens, not just the Muslims. It is only when that we listen and act justly towards all, that we will gain the respect and full support of other nations."
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