Pakistan minorities upset with Parliamentary Representatives

(August 04, 2011) Many of the minorities in Pakistan, which include Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Parsis, are unhappy with the people who are supposed to fight for their rights in parliament and see through laws that govern their communities. On Sunday, a conference was called by the Hindu Panchayat to discuss a 16-point agenda. The fact that only one elected representative, MNA Krishan Chand Parwani, bothered to turn up, disgusted the other people who had gathered there. “The absence of minority legislators in this conference testifies to our claims,” remarked Jai Kumar Dhirani, the Panchayat’s patron. “It is easier for us to approach Muslim ministers than the inaccessible minority members of parliament,” remarked Advocate Kalpana Devi, an outspoken activist of Hindu rights. She pointed out that their “self-styled” minority leaders don’t even know that Hindus have no laws to their marriages and property. The entire process of electing a minority official or senator is marked by bribes, nepotism and likes and dislikes, said Wasandas Bhaagri, a leader of the Bhaagri caste. He alleged that the minority elected officials spend very little time working for their communities. “Two million rupees, earmarked for the welfare of minorities, were wasted due to their lack of concern,” added Father Daniel Fayyaz, a Catholic priest.