Advocating for Genuine Representation and Rights in a Challenging Political Landscape
Karachi;
Imam Bux
Religious minorities face numerous challenges in Pakistan, one of which is their lack of genuine representation in parliament and provincial legislative assemblies. Arjun Bagri, a lawyer from the Bagri community—one of the indigenous groups of Sindh and part of the religious minority in Pakistan—has underscored the critical issues facing this marginalised community. With a steadfast commitment to social justice, Bagri has dedicated his legal career to advocating for the rights of these communities, who face widespread discrimination and violence.
He mentioned that “minorities in Sindh encounter significant challenges, including a lack of representation and voices in decision-making processes, employment, education, and healthcare. Furthermore, the allocation of reserved seats in provincial and national assemblys’ often fails to benefit these communities, as political parties tend to nominate influential individuals rather than those who truly represent the marginalized.”
A major population of religious minorities resides in Sindh, including Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, and others. They all share the same grievances: their issues are not being addressed due to their exclusion from the decision-making process. One of their primary grievances is that legislative assemblies do not have true representation for minorities, and the special seats allocated for them have also lost their purpose.
Bagri, who belongs to Matiari, one of the districts of Sindh located 40 kilometers from Hyderabad, the second largest city in the province, is actively involved in advocacy and efforts aimed at improving minority rights. He pointed out that the Bagri community, one of the oldest indigenous tribes of the Indus Valley, has a significant number of votes in each constituency of Sindh. Despite this, the community has never been allocated reserved seats due to the sheer ignorance of political leadership, as they are a low-income and underdeveloped community. He believes that elections are a game for the upper class in Pakistan.
A pressing issue, Bagri noted, is the forced conversion of minor girls, where abductions and coerced conversions are prevalent. Additionally, the safety of properties and lives within these communities is frequently compromised, and holy places are often vandalized. He emphasized that while there have been increases in reserved seats post-elections, underprivileged communities, including Bagri, Jhandawara, Jogi, Kabotra, Gorgala, Oad, Kohli, Bheel, Meghwar, and others considered as scheduled castes in Pakistan, are still marginalized.
He highlighted the critical need for reforms, including greater transparency in the selection process, increased quotas for underprivileged communities, and enhanced empowerment through quality education, addressing socio-economic disparities, improving protection mechanisms against vandalism, and safeguarding against forced conversions are essential steps.
The census data highlights the following key figures:
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has released the 2023 census data, revealing a detailed portrait of minority communities in Sindh, with a total minority population of approximately 5.47 million. The Hindu Jati community is the largest minority group, comprising 3,575,848 individuals and serving as a significant cultural and demographic force in the province. Scheduled castes account for 1,325,559 people, while the Christian population stands at 546,968, and the Ahmadi community numbers 18,266, contributing to the province’s religious plurality. The Sikh population is recorded at 5,182, maintaining a notable presence in various urban areas despite its smaller size. Additionally, the Parsi community, with only 750 members, continues to play an integral role in Sindh’s historical and cultural landscape.
Social Insecurity and Feudal Influence
Sharran Kumar Panjwani, an organizer of the Minority Rights March, provides a comprehensive overview of these issues, shedding light on systemic problems that exacerbate the marginalization of these groups.
The prevailing lawlessness in the region disproportionately affects minority communities, who are often more vulnerable due to their limited connectivity and influence compared to surrounding tribal groups. Feudal tribal leaders wield significant power, using their influence to marginalize minorities. This power dynamic is further complicated by the exploitation of religious sentiments to suppress dissent against their authority, Panjwani said.
Political Representation and Dynastic Politics
Panjwani highlights a significant issue with the current political system, particularly regarding reserved seats in parliament. These seats are frequently occupied by individuals within a narrow family circle, with strong familial bonds perpetuating their dominance.
Political parties often nominate candidates based on familial connections, reinforcing a system where power remains concentrated and entrenched within specific circles. This dynastic approach to politics not only diminishes the effectiveness of reserved seats but also discourages youth from engaging in politics. The alienation of young people from the political process further exacerbates the disconnection between the government and the minority communities it aims to represent, he said.
Ineffective Representation and Lack of Ground-Level Engagement
Panjwani argues that many of these efforts are superficial. Such activities often resemble mere photo opportunities rather than substantive, ground-level engagement. The representatives who occupy reserved seats frequently maintain a narrow network of well-wishers and privileged individuals, excluding critics and failing to address the broader concerns of their constituencies.
Barriers to Youth Engagement
Sharran also points out to the ban on student politics and the restriction on youth involvement in social and political issues as major obstacles. These restrictions limit the avenues available for young people to engage with and influence the political system. In a political landscape marked by corruption and dynastic control, the pursuit of reserved seats often requires substantial financial resources or strong familial connections, which are typically out of reach for ordinary individuals.
Panjwani’s insights underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to address these systemic issues. Ensuring equitable representation, enhancing transparency in the political process, and fostering genuine engagement with minority communities are crucial steps toward creating a more inclusive and just society.
Mehnaz Rehman of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says that ” In Sindh, the major challenges are forced conversion, child marriages. Government of Sindh has tried to counter it by fixing the minimum age of 18 years to get married but due to lack of implementation, the issue has not been resolved. A good thing for minority women is that Hindu marriage Act has been promulgated which protects women, as far as marginalized communities are concerned, they are not deprived of reserved seats legally but yes politically and socially they are deprived” she said.
Mehnaz stressed, saying “As it is up to political parties to give names for reserved seats and they give it to their interests, and they in return abide by party policies and take personal advantages as well. Civil society demands that political parties should give ticket to minorities to contest on general seats. But electoral process is so expensive that poor people can’t contest, she told.
There is general discrimination as well, only low scale jobs are offered to religious minorities to fulfil job quota.” Mehnaz pointed out.
She said due to extremism and intolerance, most of the well-of non-Muslims migrated from Pakistan. Now majority left they are misuse and abuse of blasphemy law is another issue. As usually these cases are result of personal enmity or greed.
Sijal Shafique, a Christian rights activist and one of the organizers of the minority rights march, deeply shade light on the core issues being faced by Minorities in Sindh. He said that Political underrepresentation, social and economic marginalization, limited access to education, healthcare, and employment, targeted violence, forced conversions, and blasphemy laws and Cultural and linguistic suppression, reserved seats deprivation are keys issues face the religious minorities.
“Influenced individuals securing reserved seats”
Shafique further said that influenced and powerful individuals secure reserved seats due to political patronage, nepotism, and marginalized communities’ voices are ignored awarding the reserve seats in parliament by political leaderships.
She said that there is historical power imbalances and social hierarchies, limited access to resources, discriminatory policies and practices, therefore, “We demand Proportional representation in assemblies and governance, Inclusive electoral reforms ensuring genuine community representation, Empowerment of marginalized voices and leadership, addressing social and economic disparities through targeted initiatives and Protection from violence, persecution, and forced conversions.
She also suggests that there should be increase representation in local government and municipal authorities, to address urban-specific challenges like housing and sanitation, preservation and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity and effective implementation of minority rights and protection laws.
Writer is freelance contributor based in Karachi
