Ibn Zaraar
“Minorities not safe… Sikhs, Hindus fleeing to India… Christians being culled… Ahmadiyas facing the violent years… Shia’s bombed in their houses… A country established on basis of religion is destined to be a failure state.”
“Yeh All India Radio ki Urdu Service” and the broadcaster started the old habit of Pakistan bashing.
The media in India hardly misses a point by which they can defame Pakistan.
Here goes a transcript of that half an hour program usually broadcast daily from All India Radio Broadcasting services, at least this is the trend.
“At least, 35 Shia’s were killed in a terrorist attack in Pakistan. The attack is believed to be carried out by Sunni extremists. Sunni militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Laskar e Jangvi are believed to be involved behind sectarian violence in Pakistan. These militant groups are backed by the country’s Sunni majority government.
Minorities are under attack everywhere in Pakistan, Multan and Karachi being the main battlefields against minorities.
Hundreds of Shia’s are killed on a routine basis. There is a wave of terrorism unleashed against the Shia’s in Pakistan and the government is just acting as a mute spectator. The Shia community now fears for their lives and feels like an outsiders in their own country.
Shias alone are not suffering the brunt of this violence. Every minority sect whether it be Hindus or Christians are feeling unsafe in Pakistan. They are targeted on a regular basis.
Take the incident in Badami Bagh of Lahore where 170 houses and shops of Christians were set on fire by an angry mob. The reason behind the incident was to avenge an alleged act of blasphemy by Christian’s some days ago. The situation in Pakistan is worsening with each passing day.”
And with these lines, the broadcaster made a pause “Another Muslim sect, Ahmadiyas are termed as infidels. Their houses are burnt, their graveyards bulldozed and the government seems to be least bothered about these happenings. Instead of improving the situation and punishing the culprits, they are providing them a helping hand. Baloch people also face the tyranny of Pakistani army on daily basis. Baloch nationalists are bombed in their houses. No one is safe in the so called Islamic republic of Pakistan.
Pakistan is also active in disrupting peace in India’s Kashmir region.”
All India radio goes like this every day.
I am from Indian-administered Kashmir and I do listen to such stories daily. I try to ignore these but can’t. It, as a Muslim, hurts from within. I can’t believe a Muslim being after the blood of another Muslim like this. There might be some exaggeration in portraying the happenings in Pakistan but it altogether cannot be dismissed as ‘propaganda’.
Though there is no denying the fact that these minorities live under a permanent fear in India too. Despite claims of being a democratic country, one can see how minorities be it Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Dalits and other low caste Hindus are treated here in India. Who can forget Gujarat, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and various other places of India, where Muslims were culled like chicks? Who can ignore the killings of Sikhs after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984? Aren’t the Dalits still treated as untouchables in this modern and democratic country? Who can ignore the gruesome incidents of Christians burnt alive in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by Hindutva forces? But that doesn’t should, in way, one make to dismiss the portrayal of Pakistan by Indian media as ‘propaganda’.
And my point here is that why should Pakistanis provide India a handle to last at it. Given the reports of foreign agencies operating in and outside Pakistan, the role of external forces in destabilizing Pakistan could not be ruled out. Pakistan, as a strong nuclear nation, does not suit them. They would try every nerve to weaken the Islamic country. But the million dollar question is who provides them fodder to get their nefarious designs fulfilled. It is a Muslim; a native of Pakistan.
So what should be the agenda to have a stable, prosperous and developed Pakistan? Islam is a universal religion with universal message. Its uniform basic teachings provide a fundamental plank to get the Muslims across the world together on a single platform. The sectarian considerations and conflicts are abhorred in Islam as sin. Killings carried out in their name are more a heinous sin. But it is quite saddening to note that these killings are carried out as ‘acts of virtue’.
It is time for Pakistan and its people to understand their responsibilities with regard to their nation in particular and Muslims in general. That was perhaps the vision its founders Mohammad Ali Jinna and Allama Iqbal had envisaged.
Get up. Develop a better Pakistan and keep the candle of hope burning for the sake of Ummah. Allah Bless Pakistan.
(The views are author’s own, the organisation does not necessarily subscribe to the. Send your write-ups to [email protected])
