KARACHI, Oct 8: The All Parties Minorities Alliance demanded on Monday that the representation of the minority communities in parliament be increased by 36 per cent.

Speaking at a press conference, APMA chairman Shehbaz Bhatti said that while the number of seats for the majority community in the national and provincial assemblies was increased by 36 per cent on the occasion of the last general election, the number of seats for the minority communities were not increased, “which is a clear discriminatory act”.

He said the number of seats in the Senate had also been increased but there was no reserved seat for the minority communities in the Upper House. He demanded that five seats – one each from the four provinces and one from the federal capital – be reserved for them so that they could safeguard their rights at the law-making forums.

He urged the masses in general and the minorities in particular to vote for the liberal democratic parties in the forthcoming general election so that their position could be strengthened in parliament and they could counter the extremists forces and the country could get its due place in the international community.

The APMA alleged that during the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government in the NWFP, extremist forces had been strengthened and the minority communities felt threatened. He said a large number of missionary schools had been receiving threatening letters and many members of the minority communities had also received letters from extremist elements asking them to convert. Even figures of the Buddha, carved in hills and part of the country’s cultural heritage, had been attacked repeatedly and the government had failed to protect them. He demanded that all laws discriminatory to the minorities and other vulnerable sections of society be abolished as they had repeatedly been misused to settle personal scores and members of the minority communities had suffered the consequences and had been persecuted under those laws.

He referred to the famous speech of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah at an assembly session in which he had assured the minority community members that they were free to practise their religion, and said the session was presided over by a member of the minority community – Jogendarnath Mandal. He said it was unfortunate that a majority of the political parties had forgotten the words of the Father of the Nation. He also urged the political parties to give tickets to the minority community candidates for the constituencies where the number of minority community voters was sizeable so that they could also contest election on the general seats and were brought into mainstream politics.

Mr Bhatti said the minority communities had given equal sacrifices for the freedom of the country, but with the discriminatory laws in force they could not play their due role in the development and strengthening of the country. He said if equal opportunities were given, the minority communities would prove that they were equally qualified, dedicated and committed to the country’s welfare.

He also welcomed the National Reconciliation Ordinance and said it was a right step in the right direction.