ISLAMABAD, Feb 15: The restoration of joint electorate is a welcome step, but, the reserved seats for minorities as well as for women, as provided in the Constitution, should also be retained.

These views were expressed by the participants of a discussion organized by the Islamabad Cultural Forum here on Friday.

The women affairs director at the Quaid-i-Azam University, Dr Farzana Bari, represented women while Dr Salamat Akhtar spoke for the minorities. They reached a consensus on these two important aspects of the recent electoral reforms.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farzana Bari said in a number of developed countries, such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, a provision had been kept for additional women representation in their respective legislatures. She criticized the 17 per cent increase in the number of women seats, and said the action was arbitrary.

“The increase should have been 33 per cent,” she said. Dr Farzana said during the formulation of the devolution plan, the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) had agreed to the 33 per cent women representation in the assemblies.

She said the number was reflective of the International Conference on Women’s decision, held in Beijing in 1995. She said the government had also agreed to this number for women representation in the official action plans.

She opposed the graduation condition in case of women candidates. The number of graduates in the country was 1.6 per cent, and the number of women graduates was far less, she added.

Women seats in case of Fata and technocrats had not been increased, she said, adding that the same was the case in women representation in the National Assembly from Islamabad.

In his presentation, the Christian activist, Dr Salamat Akhtar, called for retaining 10 reserved minority seats, besides, allowing minorities to contest elections on the general seats.

He said the joint electorate would restore the political and economic rights of the minorities, and bring them in the political mainstream. He said this step reflected the sentiments of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and would promote national integration.

Dr Akhtar maintained that the new electoral system could be an acid test for political parties.

The number of seats given to minorities by political parties and the number elected in the assemblies would be keenly watched by the minority population, he observed.

A discussant, the chairman of Volunteers Trust Organization, Iqbal Jaffar, suggested that political parties should apportion a fixed number of seats for women and minorities.

Another participant, Dr Inayatullah said the joint electorate had restored the people’s inalienable right. “There was no concept of minorities in any other democratic state,” he added.—Jonaid Iqbal