Pakistan Sikhs demand Senate seat
"We currently have no representative in the National Assembly or in the Sindh Assembly," said Sardar Ramesh Singh, the Chairman of the Sikh Naujwan Sabha Pakistan.
The demand for a Senate seat for Sikhs was raised when a delegation representing minority communities met the new minority affairs secretary on Tuesday.
Four new seats for minority communities will be added to the 100-member Senate for the elections to be held on March 2.
A majority of members of the Senate are elected by lawmakers of the four provincial assemblies while some seats are filled on the recommendations of the government. During the meeting on Tuesday, Michael Javed, a Christian representative and a leader of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, raised the fact that the government had been unable to implement its decision to reserve five per cent of jobs for non-Muslims.
"Minorities are not being appointed on the seats reserved for them and those who are appointed after a struggle, are discriminated against and treated very harshly by others," he said.
Javed touched on the state of the minority affairs department in Sindh, saying its secretary has no place to sit.
"The
minorities' secretary
has
not
been
given
an
office
at
the
secretariat,"
he
said.
Mangla
Sharma
of
the
Pakistan
Hindu
Welfare
Council
said
parliamentarians
are
given
financial
aid
for
minorities
but
they
do
not
use
the
funds
properly."They
are
not
even
in
touch
with
us,"
Sharma
said.
PTI