Eid-ul-Azha is an occasion of generosity and sacrifice. It is a
day to commemorate Hazrat Ibrahim AS' unconditional obedience to Allah
as he showed willingness to sacrifice his son in His name. This occasion serves as a reminder to all Muslims that Islam's spirit encapsulates the ideals of sharing one's blessings.
Unfortunately,
however, where on the one hand, Pakistani Muslims reaffirmed their
faith in these principles, the holy occasion was marred by a horrendous
incident near Shikarpur, Sindh. Three doctors of the Hindu community were shot dead and one paramedic injured at a clinic on Eid day by unknown assailants.
Speculation is rife about the identity of the murderers, but the chief of Pakistan Hindu Council, Ramesh Kumar, has alleged that the doctors were targeted because of a recent row between members of the Hindu community and the local Baban Khan Bhayos community over a Muslim girl.
According to news reports, four Hindu boys allegedly brought a Muslim dancing girl to the area and were arrested along with the girl in a police raid. The matter was referred to the local council of elders to be resolved in a peaceful way after the Eid holidays. But tragically three people were killed before that could happen. During this time, according to Ramesh Kumar, the Hindu community had also been getting threats from the Bhayos community and they had sought protection from the police to no avail.
Pakistan's Hindu community, roughly 1.6 percent of the population, is mainly concentrated in Sindh. Since partition, the community has always existed on the periphery of the mainstream society, living in uncertainty, unsure of its role in an Islamic state and thus cautious about voicing their dissent for their civil rights. In recent years, persecution of this community has considerably increased. Repeated stories of Hindus being kidnapped in Sindh and Balochistan depict a dismal mindset, which is willing to abuse the weakest members of society.
It is a shame that a minority community, primarily because it lacks a strong political clout, has become an easy target for criminals. Little attention has been paid to the repeated protests by the Pakistan Hindu Council of regular extortion the Hindus have to face by local thugs. What can be said of a state which fails to provide security to all citizens without any prejudice against religion or ethnicity.
It should be a source of great concern to the policymakers of this country, whether in power or opposition, that the extent of the Hindus' insecurity is such that over the years many families, which originally chose to stay back in Pakistan in 1947, are now starting to migrate to India. The most unfortunate migration case was that of the Sindh Assembly MPA Ram Singh Sodha, who resigned from his position last year and moved his family to India. His reasons for this decision were the same as of others who left the country - lack of security and fear of persecution. If legislators of minority groups, charged with ensuring protection of the minorities' rights, do not feel safe in their homeland, it signifies nothing less than our failure to realise Jinnah's vision for Pakistan.
Speculation is rife about the identity of the murderers, but the chief of Pakistan Hindu Council, Ramesh Kumar, has alleged that the doctors were targeted because of a recent row between members of the Hindu community and the local Baban Khan Bhayos community over a Muslim girl.
According to news reports, four Hindu boys allegedly brought a Muslim dancing girl to the area and were arrested along with the girl in a police raid. The matter was referred to the local council of elders to be resolved in a peaceful way after the Eid holidays. But tragically three people were killed before that could happen. During this time, according to Ramesh Kumar, the Hindu community had also been getting threats from the Bhayos community and they had sought protection from the police to no avail.
Pakistan's Hindu community, roughly 1.6 percent of the population, is mainly concentrated in Sindh. Since partition, the community has always existed on the periphery of the mainstream society, living in uncertainty, unsure of its role in an Islamic state and thus cautious about voicing their dissent for their civil rights. In recent years, persecution of this community has considerably increased. Repeated stories of Hindus being kidnapped in Sindh and Balochistan depict a dismal mindset, which is willing to abuse the weakest members of society.
It is a shame that a minority community, primarily because it lacks a strong political clout, has become an easy target for criminals. Little attention has been paid to the repeated protests by the Pakistan Hindu Council of regular extortion the Hindus have to face by local thugs. What can be said of a state which fails to provide security to all citizens without any prejudice against religion or ethnicity.
It should be a source of great concern to the policymakers of this country, whether in power or opposition, that the extent of the Hindus' insecurity is such that over the years many families, which originally chose to stay back in Pakistan in 1947, are now starting to migrate to India. The most unfortunate migration case was that of the Sindh Assembly MPA Ram Singh Sodha, who resigned from his position last year and moved his family to India. His reasons for this decision were the same as of others who left the country - lack of security and fear of persecution. If legislators of minority groups, charged with ensuring protection of the minorities' rights, do not feel safe in their homeland, it signifies nothing less than our failure to realise Jinnah's vision for Pakistan.
The Shikarpur murders are most unfortunate but sadly not unexpected. The
intolerance currently breeding in our society for anything beyond a
rigid framework of accepted uniformity is manifesting in many ways,
cold-blooded murder being one of them.
Prime Minister Gilani and President Zardari both have condemned the incident and the latter has also sent representatives to ensure its proper investigation. But it is time to move beyond measures of damage control. Those guilty of these murders need to be held accountable, just like those of the Sialkot lynching or Sarfraz Shah's murder in Karachi. But more so, proactive measures must be taken to ensure this rabid fanatical mindset is changed.
This is an opportunity for the government to make an example of the guilty so that the case can serve as a deterrent for future criminals, who think targeting minorities comes with certain immunity. Failure to do so would only enable such elements in the future, and even for more heinous crimes.
Prime Minister Gilani and President Zardari both have condemned the incident and the latter has also sent representatives to ensure its proper investigation. But it is time to move beyond measures of damage control. Those guilty of these murders need to be held accountable, just like those of the Sialkot lynching or Sarfraz Shah's murder in Karachi. But more so, proactive measures must be taken to ensure this rabid fanatical mindset is changed.
This is an opportunity for the government to make an example of the guilty so that the case can serve as a deterrent for future criminals, who think targeting minorities comes with certain immunity. Failure to do so would only enable such elements in the future, and even for more heinous crimes.
Published in Business Recorder (12 November 2011).
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