by KAPIL DEV
With sheer frustration and utter disappointment, I, being a Pakistani Hindu, am fed up with the unending list of unaddressed complaints regarding discrimination, marginalisation and hatred spewed against Hindus in books taught at our schools over the last 68 years.
A few days back, Lal Malhi, PTI’s MNA on a minority seat, seemed to have addressed a similar point when he spoke his heart out in a soaked voice, trying to draw the attention of the Speaker and members of the National Assembly on a point of order.
MNA (Member National Assembly, Pakistan) Lal Chand Malhi PHOTO/The Express Tribune
He commented on how frequently insensitive and outright offensive our parliamentarians usually are when in their rhetoric of jingoism they want to condemn and criticise India and instead start blaming and hurling abuses at Hindus.
A number of Muslim MNAs, he said, have mocked Hindus for worshiping cows. In their mindless hate-spewing, they ignore the fact that four million Hindus live in Pakistan and their derogatory words hurt the religious sentiments of the local Hindu community. Perhaps, they too need to be sensitised and educated that all Hindus are not Indians and all Indians are not Hindus. India has over 200 million Muslims and other minority groups as well.
In the current scenario, I wish I had a prodigious political consciousness during my childhood so that I could have asked my grandparents why they and their ancestors preferred this part of the border in 1947, when many Hindus were fleeing to India at that time.
Although I have as much of a right as any other Pakistani to seek better economic opportunity by fleeing abroad – to anywhere, India or not – and adding my name in the brain-drain list, the thought of leaving my motherland has never occurred to me. Despite the insecurity, the threats, the oppression and the marginalisation, we, members of the local Hindu community, are proud Pakistanis.
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Recently, Ashok Kumar, a Hindu soldier, who lay down his life fighting in Waziristan in 2013, was awarded Tamgha-i-Shujaat on March 23, 2015. But surprisingly, his name was suffixed with “late” and not “Shaheed” (martyr) as used for Muslim soldiers who have sacrificed their lives. Did Kumar not die for love of country?
He is perhaps the only Hindu who has sacrificed his life in the Pakistan Army. Hindus were not allowed to join the armed forces until before 2000 and were only welcomed in the national military during the reign of Pervez Musharraf. This is in contrast with the country’s Christian community whose members have been serving in the army for much longer with many of them having been on senior postings.
Also, to my knowledge and understanding, Pakistani Hindus are also discouraged from serving in the country’s secret agencies, whereas India’s Intelligence Bureau was headed by Syed Asif Ibrahim, a Muslim man, for two years.
Come cricket matches, particularly the World Cup and a Pakistani Hindu is intentionally or unintentionally always asked which country he supports in the Pakistan-India match? Do you ever ask a Pakistani Christian this silly question? Do you ever ask them who they support in a Pakistan-Australia or a Pakistan-New Zealand match? No, never. Then why is the Hindu always asked to prove his patriotism and loyalty to Pakistan in this manner?
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