ICC Note: Pakistan’s religious minorities, including Christians, face an uphill battle tomorrow in their fight for better representation in the country’s government. Though Pakistan does reserve some government positions for religious minorities, those appointed to reserved positions often have greater loyalty to the political parties that appointed them and not the community they are supposed to represent. Will religious minorities be better or worse represented in Pakistan’s government after tomorrow’s elections?

07/24/2018 Pakistan (The Daily Star) – As Pakistan heads into parliamentary elections tomorrow, the country’s minorities are looking for better representation and a voice that will speak up for them.

It’s an uphill struggle for Pakistani Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadis and others. The country’s complicated electoral system allots minorities and women a small number of “reserved” seats, based on their parties’ gains at the polls. But for the rest of the seats — both in the 342-seat National Assembly and the four provincial legislatures — members of minority groups are increasingly choosing to run as independent candidates.

Garbage is piled by the roadside and cinderblock homes have flimsy curtains instead of doors in Rimshah, a squatters’ settlement on the outskirts of Islamabad. Years ago, scores of Christian families settled here when a mob of Muslim men, enraged over an alleged act of blasphemy by an 11-year-old Christian girl, tried to kill her and drove them out of their homes.

They named the slum Rimshah, for the 11-year-old girl with Down’s syndrome who was eventually cleared of charges of tearing up pages of an Islamic religious book.

Michael Rose, an outspoken advocate of the Christian community, campaigns in Rimshah for Asif Shahzada, an independent Christian candidate.

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