Archbishop Arshad urges Punjab govt & ECP to ensure inclusive voting for all faiths ahead of elections, stressing equality and minority rights.
Newsroom (31/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) On the eve of Punjab’s provincial elections, Archbishop Joseph Arshad, chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Pakistan Bishops’ Conference, called on the Punjab government and the Election Commission of Pakistan to uphold democratic principles and guarantee every citizen’s right to vote, irrespective of ethnicity, culture, or religion.
“Punjab should defend the democratic principles and ensure that every citizen – regardless of their ethnicity, culture, or religious group – can actively participate in the political process and exercise their right to vote,” Arshad stated in his appeal.
Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province with over 127 million residents, stands as a cornerstone of the nation’s history, culture, social diversity, and economic vitality.
The newly passed Punjab Local Government Act 2025 reinforces reserved seats in the provincial assembly for minority groups. Under the law, political parties will nominate non-Muslim minority members and women from their candidate lists based on internal rankings.
Arshad pressed political leaders, legislators, and the Election Commission to “ensure equality, religious freedom, and the full participation of all citizens in public life, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution of Pakistan.” He also urged Christian communities to engage actively in civic education, voter registration, and democratic processes to foster national unity and harmony.
Echoing these sentiments, Father Mario Angelo Rodrigues, a priest and headmaster of St. Patrick Catholic High School in Karachi, told Fides news agency that Christians must unite during elections to secure representation that safeguards their identity, rights, and often-overlooked needs.
“In times like this, when the population exercises its right to vote and democratically determines the government, as Christians we are called to be united and to seek political representation that can then protect our identity, our rights, and our needs, sometimes ignored or forgotten by the executive branch,” Rodrigues said.
He added that Pakistani Christians, alongside Hindus and adherents of other faiths, should prioritize policies rooted in fairness, justice, and equal opportunities, while rejecting persistent discriminatory practices at provincial and national levels.
Rodrigues highlighted the role of personal integrity in politics: “In political participation, personal conscience is crucial. That is to say, regardless of the religious or ethnic group to which elected representatives belong, they must act with honesty and integrity, because in our country, corruption harms everyone; it is not political or religious, but affects every individual.”
He concluded by advocating for candidates who view politics as a service and mission, guided by faith: “Candidates must be carefully selected who see political participation as a service to others and a mission; their lives must truly be illuminated by their faith.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Fides News
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