KARACHI: The Pakistan Hindu Council has demanded that the government and all political parties amend the constitution to make provision for non-Muslims to cast dual vote to elect their representative for national and provincial assemblies and also to increase the reserved seats according to their population census in which five per cent of the total Pakistan population is Hindu.

This demand was made in a resolution adopted unanimously by the PHC general body which met here at a local hotel here on Tuesday, attended by a large number of representatives from the Hindu community including PHC patron-in-chief and MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, president Chela Ram Kewlani and general secretary Dr Deepak Kumar Bhagchandani.

The meeting also demanded nomination of a chairman and two members of the Evacuee Trust Board from amongst reputable Hindus from each province of Pakistan. It said the Karachi Hindu Gymkhana should be handed over to local Hindu community through the Pakistan Hindu Council.

The PHC also demanded five per cent quota in all government jobs for the Hindu community as per their population in Pakistan, which had been announced by the previous government but it was not implemented yet.

Presenting the charter draft, Dr Bhagchandani stressed the need to give the PHC representation on recently-announced “Committee on Minorities Issues” by the Sindh chief minister.

The meeting also called upon the federal and provincial governments to take urgent steps to implement the order of the Supreme Court for the protection of minorities. The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013 must be implemented forthwith, it said.

The participants also requested Dr Vankwani to present the PHC “Charter of Demand” to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the earliest so that grievances of the Hindu community across the country, particularly in Sindh, could be addressed.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2014