LAHORE – A considerable number of minority candidates are contesting the election for general seats of National and provincial assemblies across the country.
Besides the 10 percent quota of minorities in the reserved seats, these contestants are in the run to have their share from 272 general seats of National assembly and 577 of the four provincial assemblies.
Khehal Das Kohistani, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Sindh chapter’s minority wing president, is contesting the election for NA-233 Jamshoro.
Neelam Walji, a Hindu woman, is in run for NA-220, Umerkot, also on the PML-N ticket. Diwan Chand Chawla of the Mutahida Qummi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is contesting for NA-236 Malir.
Similarly, Sanjay Parwani, a representative of the Hindu community, is fighting for NA-218 Mirpurkhas on MQM-P ticket against independent candidate Roop Chand, also a Hindu.
Kishan Chand Parwani has been fielded by Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) for NA-216 Sanghar while Sofia Yaqoob, a Christian woman associated with Awami National Party (ANP), is in the run for NA-256 Karachi.
Independent candidate Tulchi Bai is facing Mahesh Malani, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate of upper-caste Hindu, in NA-222 Tharparkar. Two other Hindu candidates, Kanwar Kumar and Kianchand, are also in run for the same seat.
Raj Kumar and Naresh Kumar belonging to the Hindu community are fighting for NA-197 Kashmore, Veero Mal for NA-208 Khairpur Mirs and Raj Kumar for NA-247 Karachi as independent candidates.
Prominent Hindu community leader Ramesh Kumar, who remained part of the last PML-N government, is now fighting for Sindh Assembly seat of PS-43 Matiari on the ticket of Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Similarly, Sunita Parmar Menghwar is contesting for PS-56 Tharparkar as an independent candidate. A Hindu girl, Mariam Bheel, is in the run for PS-51 Umerkot.
Radesh Singh is the only minority candidate, who is contesting an election on a general seat for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly – PK-75 Peshawar.
