LAHOREMinority communities protested in front of the Punjab Assembly for withdrawing ‘anti-minorities’ Punjab Local Government Ordinance (Amended). The members of the minority communities demand the government withdraw Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2015 which does not give right to the voters of minority communities to elect their representatives through their
By our correspondents
October 08, 2015
LAHORE Minority communities protested in front of the Punjab Assembly for withdrawing ‘anti-minorities’ Punjab Local Government Ordinance (Amended). The members of the minority communities demand the government withdraw Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2015 which does not give right to the voters of minority communities to elect their representatives through their direct vote in the local government system. The protest was led by Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, the head of Catholic Church in Punjab and Rt Rev Samuel Azraiah (Moderator Church of Pakistan), Rt Rev Bishop Munawar Ramal Shah (Bishop Emeritus, Church of Pakistan), Col Washington Daniel (Chief Secretary Salvation Army Pakistan), Rev Shahid Miraj (Vicar General, Diocese of Lahore), Fr Francis Gulzar (Vicar General, Arch Diocese of Lahore), and Rev Emanuel S Khokhar (Vicar General Central Cathedral Diocese of Raiwind). A large number of political, social and human rights activists also participated in the protest to support the demand of the withdrawal of the Ordinance. The protesters shouted against the Punjab Local Government (amended) Ordinance and demanded that this Ordinance should be done away because this Ordinance does not allow them to elect their own representatives directly through their vote in the local government system. Addressing the protestors, Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw said: “We are highly disturbed with this latest attack on our rights that we as voter have been deprived to elect our own representative through our direct vote in the local government elections. This Ordinance is clearly a political apartheid and has added to the deprivation of those Pakistanis who belong to religious minorities- Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and others. Therefore we demand from the Punjab Government to withdraw this Ordinance to ensure the effective representation of religious minorities in the local government system”. Rt Rev Samuel Azraiah, Moderator Church of Pakistan, said: “We strongly and openly reject this Ordinance as it is unconstitutional, anti-minorities and against the globally know democratic norms and values which ensure the equal treatment of all the citizens without any discrimination”. Bishop Munawar Rumal Shaw said: “the government is supposed to protect the rights of every citizen, especially the weak minorities of the country but the reality seems contrary which has raised serious concerns amongst our people throughout Punjab”.
