NCJP demands joint electorate for local bodies

LAHORE: The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) of the Catholic Church has demanded the government restore joint electorate system for the local government polls. In a joint statement issued on Monday, NCJP chairman Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha and Executive Secretary Peter Jacob asked the government to end “religious apartheid” in elections. They said keeping a separate electorate during the local bodies polls was a negation of the principles of adult franchise. They said minorities boycotted the previous local bodies elections and would repeat it if the separate electorate system was kept. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz wishes to make Pakistan a progressive and prosperous country and democracy is the best way to materialise this idea, they said. They demanded that a joint and error-free voters’ list be prepared by the Election Commission to ensure fair, free and transparent elections. staff report

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