Side-effect

The kidnapping of sixteen Christians including two priests while they were praying together in a Peshawar courtyard is one of the many incidents that bring us shame as a Muslim majority nation. To give the devil his due, the local administration brought them back efficiently this time but one of the kidnapped persons, a Muslim man, who was invited there for some reason, had not returned by the time of my writing this piece.

Another horrific incident was the suspension of perhaps all Ahmadi students, 21 in number, from the Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, when the right-wing student groups pressurised the college administration to throw them out because some, not all, were allegedly preaching Qadiyaniyat. This newspaper ran a brilliant story on the incident but it hasn't become a headline elsewhere. To date, the government is silent.

Lastly, the plight of scheduled caste Hindus in Sindh (I hate to use the term 'scheduled caste' but that's how the states and societies categorise it in this part of the world), continues to be a matter of grave concern for those who believe in humanity and the right to dignity and freedom for all human beings. I was in Sindh earlier this week to attend the 61st death anniversary of Mai Bakhtawar, the great peasant woman who sacrificed her life for the rights of small and landless farmers. The function was also attended by a few hundred farmers from Koli and Bheel communities and people from related professions. They are not the only ones to be living in subhuman conditions but are certainly much worse than others.

I blame three types of people for the plight of minorities in the country. First and foremost is the supposedly liberal and secular politicians who, in order to appease the religious right in Pakistan, did not lift a finger to mainstream the minorities. The second are the elite minority leaders themselves, who are as classist, exploitative and selfish as their Muslim counterparts. They were

co-opted time and again by both military and civilian rulers, compromising the rights of the minority population, which is largely poor and disadvantaged. The third are those who joined the rule of General Zia-ul-Haq, who almost single-handedly pushed minorities to the margins by insensitive and discriminatory legislation and promoting a curriculum which was demeaning and gruesome for the minorities.

I reiterate that the blasphemy laws and the law of evidence which are continuously used to harass, humiliate and suppress minorities must be repealed. The curriculum has to be sensitive towards non-Muslim Pakistanis so that their children feel safe, secure and equal. Recall Quaid-e-Azam announcing the equal citizenship and freedom to practice their faith for the followers of all religions in the state of Pakistan. I remember a Christian friend telling me that when he was in school and the Independence Day would arrive, most of his classmates would ask him, "Do you guys also celebrate the 14th of August?" What a pity. I must also tell you that this friend of mine was related to the hero of the Pakistan Air Force, Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry.

I would go a step further and propose that the Constitution of Pakistan should be amended to allow non-Muslim Pakistanis to hold the highest offices of the state. I have always found it baffling that a vicious, corrupt, immoral and unintelligent Muslim citizen of Pakistan can become president or prime minister of this country but a non-Muslim with exceptional values, vision, competence and love for the country is barred from holding these offices by the constitution of a republic that was carved out in the name of autonomy, freedom and minority rights from the then British India. I don't know how the majority faith is challenged, culture threatened, or opportunities minimized if an able and committed Pakistani runs the Cabinet, whether the person is Muslim or non-Muslim. I would feel more proud to be a Muslim if minorities were respected, seen as equals and owned the country as much as I do.



The writer is an Islamabad-based poet and rights campaigner. Email: harris@spopk.org