Why do minority seats in Pakistan belong to a few big families?

 Why do minority seats in Pakistan belong to a few big                                             families?

                                           

                                                                               

76 years after the formation of Akstan, now only the personalities from certain minority families are elected to the National and Provincial Assemblies. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, appointed Dalit Hindu Joginder Nath Mandal as the first Minister of Law and Justice of Pakistan.

                                           

3.53% of the total population of Pakistan consists of minorities. Special seats have been reserved for minorities in the National Assembly, Senate and Provincial Assemblies of the country. Out of 336 seats in the National Assembly, 10 seats have been reserved for minorities.

Similarly, out of 371 seats in Pakistan's Punjab province, eight seats are reserved for minorities. Nine out of 168 seats in Sindh province, 3 out of 65 seats in Balochistan Assembly and four out of 115 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly are reserved for minorities.

Although minorities have been given equal rights in the constitution of Pakistan, the provincial and national assembly seats have been going to certain families for a long time.

                                   

In Pakistan, the largest number of Hindus live in Sindh province, which is about 10 percent of the total population of the province.

Families belonging to distinct and elite Hindu communities from Sindh have been part of the ruling houses for decades.

Be it the former member of the National Assembly, Dr. Ramesh Kumar, who was elected on the reserved seat, or the Pakistan Muslim League-N's Khail Das Kohistani, both families have been part of the power in Sindh province and the federation.

The major political parties of the country including Pakistan People's Party, Muslim League-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf have all been giving tickets to the same families on specific seats.

                                           

The family of former PML-N MNA Khaildas Kohistani from Sindh province is also an important partner of the Houses of Power.

Two uncles of Khail Das Kohistani, Lal Chand Karani and Mohan Lal, have been candidates for specific seats on behalf of Pakistan Peoples Party.

Mohanlal Kohistani has been the provincial minister in 2008. He is also an official of PP Sindh and belongs to Jamshoro city of Sindh.

                                           

                                           

Samdhi Raja Asarmal Mangalani of Khaildas Kohistani has been the Central Senior Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Minority Wing. He was also a member of the Awqaf Board during the PTI era. He also belongs to Jamshoro Sindh.

Gian Chand Asrani is also the cousin of Khail Dan Kohistani who was Sindh Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs from 2018 to 2023.

Jayaprakash Akrani is also a cousin of Khyeldas Kohistani and has been elected as Member of National Assembly of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf on a reserved seat in 2018.

Chela Ram Kalwani is also related to Khela Das Kohistani. He has been the chairman of the National Minority Commission during the PTI regime and the head of the Rice Export Association from 2022 to 2023. Diaram Esrani is also a cousin of Khail Das who served as War Minister in 2008.

                                         

PML-N leader Khail Das Kohistani, while commenting on the issue of reserved seats for his family, said, "There is no MPA or MNA in my Dadhyaal except me." If relatives are elected as members of assemblies, it is not a violation of any law.

In a conversation with Urdu News, Khail Das said that there is no division among Hindus on the basis of caste or position. Everyone should have equal rights. I have been given a ticket by the parliamentary board of the PML-N. On my recommendation, the deprived families of the Hindu community were also given tickets in Sindh.

"There is a certain lobby active against me which wants to divide Hindus in the name of caste," Nahu alleged.

Dr. Ramesh Kumar, a politician from Sindh, started his political journey in the year 2002. They are still part of the houses of power.

Ramesh Kumar was a part of the Sindh Assembly on a reserved seat from 2013 to 2018, while he is a part of the National Assembly on a reserved seat from 2018.

Former MNA Senator Ramesh Kumar was contacted by Urdu News but he refused to comment.

                                             

Journalist and analyst Syed Muzamil Shah believes that 'Pakistan does not have a separate electorate for minorities, so only a few families always get a share in power.'

Syed Muzamil Shah told Urdu News that a policy was made during Zia-ul-Haq's tenure under which non-Muslim voters had a separate electorate, which was later abolished. The candidate has to issue a ticket to the designated seat.'

                                           

He said that the 4 million minority population living in Pakistan are already deprived of many rights. Therefore, the minority members of assembly who reach the houses of power from certain families are creating more problems for the minorities living in the country.

According to Muzamil Shah, "In Pakistan, different personalities from a few families are being elected on the seats of minorities, which has deprived the minority population of 40 lakhs of their basic right to vote."

Dinesh Kumar, a senator elected on a reserved seat from Balochistan, believes that there is a need to legislate to give equal rights to minorities on reserved seats.

The leader of Balochistan Awami Party while talking to Urdu News said that "There should be specific seats in the National Assembly for minorities from every province of Pakistan. To give tickets to the minority community on specific seats, their ability should be seen and not their ability." Caste and Political Implications of.'

Dinesh Kumar said that there is no monopoly of certain families on minority seats in Balochistan. 1.5% of the total population of the province consists of the minority community and they all have equal rights.

Advocate Sarwan Bhil, a leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf from Tharparkar region of Sindh, says that '95% of the Hindu community is occupied by 5% of upper caste families.'

Sarwan Bhil told Urdu News that "Senator Ramesh Kumar's father-in-law, including other family members, are also holding important positions in Sindh." Hindu politicians belonging to all parties in the country are capitalists from the same family. These people use the name of minorities to save their business.

He further said that the supporters of Tehreek-e-Pakistan were Hindu Dalits. We are settled in Sindh before it became Pakistan. I am an MNA candidate from Sindh on the ticket of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

He accused Senator Ramesh Kumar that he is once again trying to get a ticket from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf on a reserved seat.

THE END