An important day

Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ, is being celebrated today all over the world. Historically, Christmas is one of the most popular festivals in the world and has been celebrated with traditional zeal and enthusiasm for many centuries.

The ancient Roman Empire also used to announce a public holiday on December 25, and even today there is a public holiday in most countries. On this big day, large numbers of people share happy moments and joys of Christmas with each other.

However, this year's outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has badly affected Christmas celebrations around the world. Reportedly, the emergence of a new strain of the coronavirus has forced many countries, including the UK, to impose more restrictions on public gatherings. Lockdowns have been announced in many places and for the first time, many countries are advising their citizens to not celebrate Christmas in a traditional way so as to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic among the people.

There is a tradition of celebrating Christmas here from the era of British imperialism before Independence. There were many official holidays after the establishment of Pakistan. At that time, many gazetted holidays were linked with the celebration of various festivals including Christmas.

Today, the holiday of December 25 in Pakistan is associated with the birthday of Quaid-e-Azam. It is a public holiday throughout the country. On the occasion, special ceremonies are held to acknowledge his tireless struggle to achieve this independent country.

No doubt, the Quaid-e-Azam-led Pakistan Movement is a success story of a modern peaceful struggle. However, there were also many notable non-Muslims who supported Quaid-e-Azam wholeheartedly to make his efforts successful. At the time of Partition, the Christian speaker of the United Punjab Assembly, S P Singha, cast his decisive vote in favour of Muslim-majority separate independent country. Similarly, C E Gibbon and Fazal Elahi also mobilised the Christian population to participate actively in the Pakistan Movement.

Sir Victor Turner was one of the prominent Christian leaders during the Pakistan Movement. He served as the first finance secretary of Pakistan and chairman of the Central Board of Revenue. Pakistan’s first official rupee currency note had also carried his signature, V A C Turner.

Alvin Robert Cornelius, a jurist, legal philosopher and judge, was another notable Christian figure who dedicated his entire life to the independence of Pakistan. Due to his great contributions, Quaid-e-Azam had elevated him as chief justice of the Lahore High Court bench. He also became the first Christian chief justice of Muslim-majority Pakistan. He is known as a symbol of the protection of the rights of minority communities and religious freedom. No doubt, Christian missionary schools have an important role in promoting education across the country.

There is a long story of the sacrifices of many communities, including Hindus and Christians, in the freedom movement against British imperialism. Such non-Muslim citizens were hopeful they would enjoy equal civic rights and faith freedom in Pakistan. In his August 11, 1947 speech, Quaid-e-Azam himself had assured that all citizens of Pakistan would have equal rights and freedom. As a result, thousands of non-Muslims decided to not migrate and preferred to declare Pakistan their beloved motherland.

Today, December 25, demands that every patriotic Pakistani national recognize the great contributions of Quaid-e-Azam and his non-Muslim political kin. We should also ensure the respect of all religious holy places, including churches, temples and gurudwaras. Appointing a Muslim head of the Evacuee Trust Properties Board to oversee the sale and purchase of non-Muslim places of worships is in fact a violation of the vision of Quaid-e-Azam. We must strive for the inclusion of non-Muslim minorities in the national mainstream in order to promote interfaith harmony and national unity across the country. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to Quaid-e-Azam!

The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

Twitter: @RVankwani