ICC Note:

Following the election of London’s first Muslim mayor, Pakistan media has posed the question of whether a Christian could ever be voted into a similar office in Pakistan. According to Pakistan’s constitution, only a Muslim can serve in the country’s highest office. Unfortunately, this constitutional requirement has a trickle down effect. Many Muslims in Pakistan now feel that this “Muslims on top” feeling must be applied more broadly. This means that Christians have a very difficult time breaking into high job postings, high government jobs, and higher ranks in the military. Ultimately, this feeling has led to a belief that Christians and other religious minorities are supposed to be second class citizens in Pakistan to be ruled by the Muslim majority. Something very different from the pluralistic democracy the country’s founders envisioned in 1947. 

5/10/2016 Pakistan (Daily Times) – London mayoral elections received world’s media attention after the United Kingdom Labor party-nominated Muslim candidate for mayoral race, Sadiq Khan, defeated his opponent Zac Goldsmith, the son of a billionaire from the ruling Tory party. Much heat was observed in their election campaigns during the last few days before the polling day. Khan’s challenger, Goldsmith accused him of links with extremists; Khan was also questioned for his anti-Semitism ideology. But despite all kinds of political tactics — some of them downright unsavory — used by his opponents, Khan acquired 13.6 percent margin victory over his rival, which itself is a record in the 16 years history of London mayoral elections. Now Sadiq Khan is the mayor of 8.6 million Londoners.

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Now diverting from that into a different direction, let us think for a moment about political participation of minorities in Pakistan. In Pakistan, now for the past few years, we claim to have democracy in the country. After the Pakistan People’s Party’s five-year tenure, Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz received public mandate to run the country. During the last eight years, how many laws were made to give equal rights to all citizens of Pakistan irrespective of their color, caste, creed, gender, and religion?

Is it not true that the constitution of Pakistan bars a non-Muslim from becoming president and prime minister of Pakistan, and a judge of the Federal Shariat Court, which has the authority to challenge any un-Islamic law in the country? In the neighboring India, we can find several examples where non-Hindus were given high profile offices like presidency, foreign and defense ministries.

During the last 69 years, minorities in Pakistan have been separated from the mainstream political system. Many of them have been deprived of their right to vote and to elect their own representatives. Time and again, the importance of electoral reforms for minorities has been highlighted, but successive governments seem least concerned about development of a very important organ of the social body. If one organ is paralyzed, a healthy structure cannot be ensured.

Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis and other minorities have played their patriotic role in the development of the country, whether it is in health or education sector, armed forces, media or bureaucracy. In all walks of life they have proved their loyalty to their motherland. But the fact remains that in 190-million population, it is impossible for a Christian or Hindu to compete for the premiership of the country.

The existence of discriminatory laws that non-Muslims cannot hold country’s biggest offices is a clear division between minorities and majority. Any amendment to the constitution revising or repealing such provisions that bar minorities to become president or prime minister of Pakistan will be a great catalyst to engender equality among the people of Pakistan. And it will also be good for Pakistan’s image globally.

As stated earlier that with only three percent of the total participation, it is impossible for any non-Muslim to even think of competing for a high position. In the comity of nations, we can attain a better place by ensuring safety, security and proper political participation of minorities in the mainstream society. They can be given opportunities to contest elections for general seats with political support of their respective mainstream parties. Bringing a good number of Christians and Hindus in parliament will make our society more tolerant and egalitarian.

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