ISLAMABAD, Jan 20: United Christian Front (UCF) chairman Dr Shamshad Sanaullah has lauded the electoral reforms announced by President Gen Pervez Musharraf, saying that the minorities all over the country have welcomed the historic decision.

In a statement released here on Sunday, Mr Sanaullah termed the now-defunct separate electorate system a “well-thought out conspiracy against the minorities” to keep them away from national affairs.

He said the separate electorate system was a joke with minorities that required an MNA to represent their whole electorate and bag more than 25,000 votes to get elected, all of which, he added, was contrary to the sayings of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Dr Sanaullah said the UCF had always opposed the separate electorate system. As a mark of its disapproval, it had decided not to take part in the 1997 elections and announced to continue the boycott in all future elections under the separate electorate system, he recalled.