PESHAWAR: The Minorities Alliance of Pakistan has demanded delimitation of their own constituencies and the right to elect their representatives through a vote.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Saturday, the alliance chairman Akmal Bhatti said that in the current electoral system, political parties handpick representatives from minorities and make the lawmakers through reserved seats.
“We want to elect our own representatives. We don’t like selection of our representatives by the political parties,” said Bhatti, flanked by the alliance’s vice-chairman Shamoon Gill, KP president Saleem Gill and other office-bearers.
Bhatti said that the alliance was set up in the year 2002 and that it has representatives from religious minorities, including Sikhs, Hindus, Bhais and others from different parts of Pakistan.
He claimed that under the current system, the minorities vote for all Muslim candidates in the national and provincial assemblies’ constituencies but that they cannot elect their own representatives.
He said that since the 1973 Constitution was made in the country so far, minorities have 38 seats in the provincial and national assemblies and Senate of Pakistan.
Bhatti said: “Yes, we have representatives in assemblies, but they are selected by the political parties on reserved seats. We want to elect them through our vote, just like we vote for Muslim candidates in elections.”
He also demanded that the reserved seats for minorities should also be increased in view of the increasing population of the minorities in the country.
According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics 2017; Pakistan’s population compromises 96.28 percent Muslims, 15.9 percent Christians, 1.60 percent Hindus, 0.22 percent Qadianis, 0.25 percent scheduled castes and 0.07 percent others.
KP government spokesman and Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shaukat Yousafzai told Arab News that delimitation of the minorities-only constituencies is not possible without a constitutional amendment.
“I am a lawmaker and I have completed a number of projects in Christian Colony in my constituency PK1. We have to serve all whether Muslims or minorities in our respective constituencies because we get elected through their vote,” Yousafzai added.
He also said that under the law, a minorities’ candidate can also contest on any constituency.
To a question about minorities’ only constituencies, he said: “It is not possible for the minorities to have delimitation of their own constituencies because for delimitation, a constituency needs to have at least a population of around 0.3 million, while minorities are scattered in different areas in KP.”
Former senator and member of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal council Maulana Gul Naseeb said that being Pakistani citizens, the minorities should be given the same right of electing their nominees to assemblies and separate delimitation of their own constituencies. However, he raised the same point that while minorities are scattered in different areas, it would be difficult for them to do separate delimitation of their constituencies.
Muhammad Isa Khan, an advocate and a Supreme Court lawyer, said that if the government wishes, an amendment in Constitution is possible to set up separate constituencies of minorities where they can have elected their representatives to assemblies.
He said that under the Constitution, the minorities’ representatives reach assemblies on reserved seats through different political parties.
“Either they have to be get elected on reserved seats, or in case a constitutional amendment is made, then they will lose reserved seats and they will have to elect their candidates through the vote, in case of delimitation of their own constituencies,” Isa Khan explained.
“But they cannot have both choices because their role in the electoral system is dependent on their population in the country,” he added.
Minorities alliance wants more rights in 2018 elections
Minorities alliance wants more rights in 2018 elections
- Analysts say it is not possible without amendment in Pakistan’s Constitution
Islamabad says surge in aircraft orders after India standoff could end IMF reliance
- Pakistani jets came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft during a standoff in May last year
- Many countries have since stepped up engagement with Pakistan, while others have proposed learning from PAF’s multi-domain capabilities
ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan has witnessed a surge in aircraft orders after a four-day military standoff with India last year and, if materialized, they could end the country’s reliance on the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The statement came hours after a high-level Bangladeshi defense delegation met Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to discuss a potential sale of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, a multi-role fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan that has become the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over the past decade.
Fighter jets used by Pakistan came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets, during the military conflict with India in May last year. India acknowledged losses in the aerial combat but did not specify a number.
Many countries have since stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple other nations have proposed learning from Pakistan Air Force’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that successfully advanced Chinese military technology performs against Western hardware.
“Right now, the number of orders we are receiving after reaching this point is significant because our aircraft have been tested,” Defense Minister Asif told a Pakistan’s Geo News channel.
“We are receiving those orders, and it is possible that after six months we may not even need the IMF.”
Pakistan markets the Chinese co-developed JF-17 as a lower-cost multi-role fighter and has positioned itself as a supplier able to offer aircraft, training and maintenance outside Western supply chains.
“I am saying this to you with full confidence,” Asif continued. “If, after six months, all these orders materialize, we will not need the IMF.”
Pakistan has repeatedly turned to the IMF for financial assistance to stabilize its economy. These loans come with strict conditions including fiscal reforms, subsidy cuts and measures to increase revenue that Pakistan must implement to secure disbursements.
In Sept. 2024, the IMF approved a $7 billion bailout for Pakistan under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program and a separate $1.4 billion loan under its climate resilience fund in May 2025, aimed at strengthening the country’s economic and climate resilience.
Pakistan has long been striving to expand defense exports by leveraging its decades of counter-insurgency experience and a domestic industry that produces aircraft, armored vehicles, munitions and other equipment.
The South Asian country reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army, Reuters report last month, citing Pakistani officials. The deal, one of Pakistan’s largest-ever weapons sales, included the sale of 16 JF-17 fighter jets and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft for basic pilot training.
