PESHAWAR, Jan 17: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has in principle welcomed the government decision to return to a system of joint electorate, increase the number of National Assembly seats, and raise the quota for women.

An HRCP press release issued here on Thursday appreciated the decision to abandon the system of separate electorate, saying the system had undermined democracy.

The press release adds that in the absence of essential consultative processes, even measures that appear to resolve problems tend to become controversial.

The human rights body also termed the reservation of seats for technocrats in the National Assembly “patently unjustified”, saying that technocrats “are certainly no stronger pillar of democracy than other professional groups that are far more numerous and have a higher stake in the state.”

Similarly, educational criterion for a place in the assemblies “goes against the spirit of democratic representation as well as the constitution,” it added.