KARACHI: The Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC) announced on Thursday that it would boycott the October election in protest at the abolition of reserved seats for minorities in parliament.
A central leader of the PCC, Nazir S Bhatti, said in a statement from New York that his party was convinced that Christians could not be successful as returned candidates under the joint electorate system--which has been re-introduced in the country after a lapse of 23 years, though the last poll to employ joint electorates was held some 32 years ago. Bhatti said that the assumption was made on the basis of the electoral fiasco in 1970, when Christian candidates were trounced. "We assume from the results of the 1970 general election contested by Pakistan Masihi League that Christians cannot be sucessful as returned candidates under the joint electorate system," he said. In 1970 the Pakistan Masihi League was fronted by Francis X Lobo,a one-time president of the Red Crescent. The League had nominated 33 candidates for federal and provincial assembly seats. "The PCC and its prominent leadership will go on the move to boycott the forthcoming elections," Bhatti said. In 1985 also the PCC did not participate in the national election but for a different reason: the party showed its dissent for the official "delimitation of an all-Pakistan constituency" for minorities " under the multiple system of a separate electorate." The Christian Congress, however, did take part in four other elections held between 1988 and 1997 but it failed to win a single seat in parliament. Bhatti expressed fears on Thursday that the country's bigger political parties would be encouraged to behave like predators and gobble up the Christian vote bank under the joint electorate system. "None of the major parties would dare to issue their party ticket to any Christian candidates... to prove again that they only wish to capture the Christian vote-bank," the PCC leader said. Last month the Catholic Bishops of Pakistan endorsed wholehearted lay participation in the October 7-9 elections but advised people to join mainstream and regional parties instead of cobbling together their own parties. The Christian Congress is currently trying to secure party tickets from mainstream groupings for its many "friends" serving in the city governments of Karachi and Lahore. ----ends------------------------------------ends-------------------- __________________________________________________________________________ You have received this email from "TV-Email", developed by Wavetech. For more information on "TV-Email" click on http://wavetec.com/tv-email =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
