LAHORE: Leaders of almost all minorities have threatened to launch a protest drive if the Punjab government does not withdraw the Local Government Ordinance which, they say, denies them right to directly elect their representatives at third tier of governance.

“It is anti-minorities move because the ordinance does not allow the voters belonging to minorities to elect their own representatives at the lowest tier of the governance system,” head of Catholic Church in Punjab Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw told a press conference here on Monday.

He was flanked by Moderator Church of Pakistan Rt Rev Samuel Azraiah, Bishop of Lahore Irfan Jamil, Salvation Army Pakistan Chief Secretary Col Washington Daniel, Hindu community representatives Pandit Bhagat Lal Khokhar and Amarnath Randhawa, Sardar Bishan Singh of Sikh community, United Presbyterian In-charge Rev Majeed Abel, Samson Salamat and others.

They jointly announced that if the “controversial” ordinance was not repealed they would protest province-wide and then across the country.

Archbishop Shaw said, “The ultimate goal of any democratic system is people’s empowerment, especially the uplift of weaker communities of society, but unfortunately the Punjab law practically gives more powers to the powerful and weakens the already weak and marginalised communities, particularly the religious minorities.”

He lamented that the system was being introduced only in Punjab as in other provinces the minorities had the right to elect their representatives directly and urged the Shahabz government to re-visit the law.

Rev Pastor Shahid Miraj appealed to all political parties, civil society and print and electronic media for their support against the injustice being done with minority communities in Punjab against all democratic norms and values.

Mr Salamat, Amarnath Randhawa, Sardar Bishan Singh, and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2015

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