Pakistan scraps religious voting laws

Religious minorities could only elect their representatives

Pakistan's military government has abolished controversial electoral laws which religious minorities have long complained are discriminatory.

Under the laws, religious minorities have only been allowed to elect representatives of their respective communities.

The official news agency, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), also said the government was reforming the lower house of parliament to make it more democratic.

The reforms follow President Pervez Musharraf's speech to the nation on Saturday in which he announced measures to reduce the influence religious extremism.

'Only way'

The law restricting the voting rights of minorities such as Hindus and Christians was introduced in the 1980s by former military ruler General Zia ul-Haq on the demand of conservative Islamic groups.

Musharraf initially refused to lift the law

General Musharraf initially resisted demands to drop the law after he seized power in a coup in 1999.

The following year he said the system was the only way to guarantee some seats for Pakistan's religious minorities.

That led a number of Roman Catholic bishops and several human rights activists in the Punjab province to insist that the government treat members of the religious minorities as equal citizens of the country.

The chairman of Pakistan's National Reconstruction Bureau, Tanwil Hussain Naqvi, also announced on Wednesday the number of seats in the National Assembly will go up by 48%.

Mr Naqvi said this would give more representation to the people.