HYDERABAD: Religious minorities should be given dual voting right in order to make non-Muslims parliamentarians, who are elected on reserved seats, answerable. This was stated by Pakistan Hindu Council patron-in-chief and PML-N member of the National Assembly Dr Ramesh Kumar while speaking at a reception hosted by a PHC member, Narainder Kumar, in honour of the council leadership in a local hotel on Sunday.

“The parliamentarians representing minorities are protecting their own interests alone and avoiding even taking phone calls of their community fellows,” the lawmaker said, and observed that 50 per cent of the Hindu population comprised Bheels and Kohlis who didn’t have representation in the elected houses because Hindu legislators were chosen by leadership of their parties and not by the community. Keeping his in view, he said, he tabled a bill in the National Assembly on dual voting right for the community.

He said he was facing criticism of his move from the selfish parliamentarians.

Highlighting the plight of the community in Sindh, Dr Kumar said that 30 per cent Hindu children remained deprived of education. “The PHC believes in serving the community by ensuring implementation of five per cent quota in jobs and the Hindu Marriage Act, security to religious places, a syllabus free of hate stuff etc.

Take a look: Hindus demand right to dual vote

He said he had also moved the apex court, which handed down a detailed judgement on these issues.

The PML-N leader said that non-Muslims religious places across Pakistan were being registered by respective district administrations and a security plan was to be presented to the provincial authorities by March 11 in line with a Supreme Court verdict. He said that the job quota for minorities was being implemented now and all advertisement, from June 2014 onwards, would be examined to see if the quota was mentioned in them.

Admitting that some temples stand on government land, the PHC chief said they could be shifted by the community but no one had the right to dismantle them. He called for a greater role of local PHC chapters. The syllabus for class-I to V had already been revised for which he would be given a briefing by education secretary. The revision was aimed at removing hate stuff and promoting inter-faith harmony, he added.

PHC president Chela Ram said that Hindus faced many issues and urged the community to present its proposals or recommendations to the PHC for getting laws amended. PHC secretary general Dr Deepak Chand was of the view that cases of conversion took place due to a lack of parental involvement with children and deviation from religious teachings.

Hyderabad PHC chief Dr Chandi Ram Shahani said that central leadership should not interfere in the affairs of local chapters, rather, it should build a strong relationship with them. “Bheels and Kohlis form a major part of the community but they are not formal members of the PHC which is a serious matter and must be looked into,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2015

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