To create confidence among religious minorities, peace within Pakistan and a positive image of the Islamic country in the outer world, Rawalpindi based Isphanyar Bhandara requested the government to allocate more resources for minorities development. Serving his second term as a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan (NAP), Bhandara was once again assigned a minority seat by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Sharif group) that has formed a coalition government since February 2024. His first stint as Parliamentarian was from 2013 to 2018. For every 27 general/Muslim seats won by a political party, they are entitled to allocation of one seat from the minorities comprising Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis, Jews, Baha’is and Kalasha people (Indo-Aryan indigenous group residing in the Chital district in north Pakistan). The total strength of NAP being 342 Members, 272 are directly elected and 70 come in on reserved seats.
At an event convened by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari at the President House on August 12 to which the minorities were invited, Bhandara advocated a five-point agenda: special courts for minorities; one-window operation at the National Database and Registration Authority facilitation centers; revisiting of educational curriculum to eliminate hate material in text books; evacuee properties to be handed over to the people; government regulated religious sermons. Estimating that there are about 800 Parsis left in Pakistan, in his email responses to Parsiana, Bhandara indicated that minorities constitute three percent of Pakistan’s population (numbering 25.18 crore).
At the President House in Pakistan: Isphanyar Bhandara (4th from l in front row and inset);
President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari (6th from l)
While batting for betterment of ties between Pakistan and India, in a brief interview with the news channel WION (World Is One News), Bhandara acknowledged, "It’s money which makes the monkey jump… Ninety-eight percent I’m a businessman and a businessman would always like to do business so I think we can definitely disagree with India on Kashmir, keep our stance, but open the border for trade, for cultural activities and for…religious tourism.” He has reportedly shared his thoughts on the subject with the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif saying that "while the two countries can continue to have differences, the fruits of friendship would outweigh the naysayers.” According to WION, "People like Bhandara will play a key role if there is resumption of talks at any level between India and Pakistan.”
Bhandara is the chief executive of Murree Brewery Company Limited. Manufacturing both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, it enjoys the distinction of being "the oldest continuing industrial enterprise of Pakistan…and one of the oldest public companies of the sub-continent (whose) shares were traded on the Calcutta Stock Exchange as early as 1902,” as notes the website of the public limited company. Prominently displayed on their website is the directive "Say no to invisible corruption.” When asked what prompted this message, Bhandara referred to the underhand payments made by multinationals to big and small outlets to sell only their products.
A devout Zoroastrian who likes visiting fire temples in the neighboring cities of Pakistan and also in India, if he gets the opportunity, Bhandara has been advocating that the Indian government should permit visa free travel to Parsis from Pakistan who wish to pray at the Iranshah in Udvada. This woud be similar to the facility granted to the Sikhs from India who are permitted to visit the sacred shrine, Gurudwar Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, about 4.5 km from the Indo-Pakistan border without visas.