KARACHI, Jan 17: Former MPAs belonging to Hindu and scheduled caste communities have welcomed the federal government’s decision of holding the next general elections on the joint electorate basis.

In a joint statement, former MPAs Engr. Gianchand, Bherulal Balani and the scheduled castes leader, Surendar Valasai, appreciated the decision saying that the entire world had been given a clear message that the Pakistani nation was one and those who tried to divide the nation into majority and minority had failed in their designs.

A former member of the Sindh Assembly, Ratan Kumar Perwani, lauding the government’s announcement, said that through this decision the minority communities had been reintegrated into the nation.

He said that people belonging to the minority communities faced great difficulties in approaching their representatives in the national as well as provincial assemblies, who usually lived hundreds of miles away from them.

He said that the constituency for a minority MPA was the entire province, while for a minority MNA it was the whole country. These MNAs and MPA faced great difficulties in providing timely relief to their constituents due to long distances.

He said that the minorities felt outcaste due to the separate electorates, but with this decision their confidence would be restored and the feeling of insecurity that was rampant among them would be checked. Chairperson of the Pakistan National Conference, Ms Ghinwa Bhutto, welcomed the decision and said that this was in fulfilment of the demand of the PNC made in its founding declaration. She said the secret of a happy and successful nation lied in its homogeneity. “The joint electorate is in line with the inspirations of the people of Pakistan and in accordance with the principles of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” she said. She said the system of separate electorates had had a perverse affect and caused divisive influences, it had caused dissatisfaction and resentment and created mistrust among religious groups.

She said the government had taken a step in the right direction. The joint electorates would lead to accommodation, harmony and concord. She added that now the citizens would not have to travel long distances to contact their representatives.

However, she said the requirement of graduation was against true democratic spirit. In any case, she said, well-trained and highly qualified talent would be available in the 25 seats reserved for technocrats .

“It is an inalienable right of every individual to be represented by a candidate of his choice. Education is not a symbol of political awareness and vice versa,” she said.

She maintained that the provision would affect the collective representation of women.

Central leader of the Grand Democratic Alliance and president Mazdoor Kissan Party, Fatehyab Ali Khan, welcomed the restoration of the joint electorate system and said that it was in line with the Quaid-e-Azam’s address of August 11, 1947.

He said in statement that the increase in the seats of the National Assembly was right as the country’s population had now risen to 140 million as against 70 million when the 1973 constitution was adopted.

Mr Fatehyab Ali Khan also hailed the restoration of and increase in women seats.

The MKP president said that those opposing electoral reforms made by the present government should realize that their parties had signed the 1973 constitution and it was their responsibility to do away with the amendments made in that constitution through the back door.

Capt Haleem Siddiqui of the PML Sindh, about the recently announced increase in the seats of the National Assembly, said that until and unless the number of seats of the Provincial Assembly and other details were released, it would not be appropriate to comment.

In a press release issued here on Thursday, he said that government had increased the NA seats without consulting politicians and apprehended; in that way a strong constituency might become stronger.

He said that nobody knew which city of which province would get how many seats, and added that when 237 parliamentarians were not acceptable to the government it could be guaranteed that 350 members of the National Assembly would be tolerated.—PPI/APP