TODAY'S PAPER | JANUARY 23, 2021

Minorities at risk
Irfan Husain | Published December 22, 2018

irfan.husain@gmail.com

AS a country, we bask in the praise of foreigners, but when they are critical — as they often
are — we bristle with indignation and go into our usual ostrich mode.

So when Pakistan was placed on the US State Department list of countries of particular concern for
engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing and egregious” religious freedom violations, government
spokesmen and editorial writers went into denial. Earlier, Pakistan was on the only slightly less
humiliating ‘watch list’.
I’m not much concerned by what the Americans think of the way we treat our minorities. But as a
Pakistani, I have been deeply ashamed of how our non-Muslim citizens have been steadily marginalised
over the years.

The state has a responsibility to protect all its

citizens.

With sickening regularity, human rights organisations, including the Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan, report incidents in which Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis have been targeted by extremist
groups. Shias, specially the Hazaras, have been killed in large numbers.

While the state may not have been complicit, it has created an environment of impunity by failing to
arrest, try and punish those responsible for these murderous attacks. Mullahs incite mobs at regular
intervals to torch churches and the homes of Christians. Hapless non-Muslims are regularly victimised
under the blasphemy laws.

We often complain of the growing Islamophobia in the West. But what our minorities suffer in Pakistan
on a daily basis is far worse. There is discrimination against them in jobs, schools and society as a whole.
Sanitary workers are considered sub-human, and have been unable to escape their untouchable status
despite their conversion to Islam or Christianity.

Many educated non-Muslims have emigrated to escape the discrimination they faced in Pakistan. In
secular states, they have thrived, finding opportunities denied to them in their homeland. Hazaras have
risked their lives to flee violence: in Quetta, they live as virtual prisoners in an enclave. Due to their
distinctive Central Asian features, they are easily identified as Shias by Sunni extremists. Hundreds have
been killed, but few assailants have been arrested.

A major factor driving the rise of Islamophobia in the West is the persistent threat of terror attacks
carried out by jihadist individuals and groups. The US, Britain, France and Germany, among other
countries, have suffered multiple atrocities carried out against innocent civilians. India, too, has had its
share of cross-border terror attacks carried out by extremist groups.

Imagine that a major building in, say, Lahore, had been blown up by a Christian group, and there were
hundreds of casualties. In such a scenario, people would be wading in blood in local Christian
settlements. In the immediate aftermath of prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh
bodyguards in 1984, up to 17,000 of their co-religionists were chased down and murdered (the official
figure is 2,800).

Mercifully, despite the regular terrorist attacks and uncovered plots, Muslims in the West are not
subjected to this kind of mindless backlash. And as hate speech is a crime in many countries, victims can
report incidents to the police. Here, non-Muslims stay as far away from the police as possible, knowing
they can easily be accused of blasphemy as the charge does not carry the same burden of proof as other
crimes do.
We tend to blame Gen Zia for the environment of fake piety that pervades the country. But the reality is
that when we created a state in the name of religion, it was only a matter of time when the most extreme
version of the faith dominated the public discourse. In this atmosphere of religious zeal, non-Muslims
rapidly became second-class citizens, tolerated at best, and suspected of being anti-Pakistan at worst.

Many liberal Pakistanis cling to the famous speech made by Mr Jinnah to the Constituent Assembly a few
days before the creation of Pakistan. In his eloquent enunciation of the secular principle, he declared that
non-Muslims would be guaranteed equal rights. But ask a student or a cleric what he thinks of the
speech, and you will probably draw a blank. One reply is that if Mr Jinnah wanted a secular state, why did
he insist on the partition of India? A fair point, and one difficult to refute.

So when we are accused of ‘systematic, ongoing and egregious’ religious freedom violations, on what
grounds do we protest our innocence? The state has a responsibility to protect all of its citizens, and not
just Sunni Muslims. Time after time, those responsible for attacking non-Muslims have got off scot-free,
encouraging others to pick these soft targets for persecution and mayhem. In all this, the police are
usually silent witnesses. Mullahs are hardly ever prosecuted for provoking mobs, and non-Muslim
villagers live in fear.

We need to take a hard look at our treatment of minorities, not because of American pressure, but to
become a just society.

irfan.husain@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2018

Latest Stories

Angry over govt’s replies, opposition walks out of Senate Oil price hike impact passed to masses to avert loan
burden: PM
LNG tender default turns into boon for Pakistan Senate chairman throws his weight behind open ballot
move

Pemra suspends Bol News for 30 days, slaps Rs1m ne over UK imams mobilise to counter Covid-19 vaccine
'contemptuous' remarks against judges disinformation
Good news Bridgerton fans, the hit Net ix show is returning for season 2

A simple guide to buying and caring for roses — the ‘Queen of Flowers’
Two tales of one city: These movies are o ering 2 di erent insights on Wuhan lockdown anniversary

Most Popular
01 As promised, Biden lifts Muslim ban on his rst day in o ce

02 Oxford vaccine may cost around $6 in Pakistan

03 Farewell Roosevelt Hotel

04 India starts Covid-19 vaccine shipments to neighbours, barring Pakistan and China

05 Biden administration to revive military-to-military ties with Pakistan

06 Pakistan, India spar at UNGA over minority rights in each other's countries

07 China to 'gift' 0.5m doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan by Jan 31: Qureshi

08 COMMENT: Have faith in fresh faces and shun negative approach to achieve glory

09 China imposes sanctions on 28 Trump-era o cials including Pompeo

Must Read
Why our language policy in education is a mess
Our policy confuses the medium-of-instruction debate with the language-acquisition debate.

Dear Cannoli, poking fun at an employee over their English is not 'banter'
— a privilege check is overdue
Adeel Ahmed

Editorial: Biden will have to go the extra mile to put out the many res his
unorthodox predecessor has lit

A simple guide to buying and caring for roses — the ‘Queen of Flowers’

Good news Bridgerton fans, the hit Net ix show is returning for season 2
Images Sta

Opinion
Language mess
Faisal Bari
Our policy confuses the medium-of-instruction debate with the language-acquisition debate.

22 Jan 2021

Zero carbon race

Over 100 countries, including Pakistan, have failed to submit their national
commitments to cut emissions.

22 Jan 2021

Sports for all

We need a certain level of fitness to observe God’s law.

Updated 22 Jan 2021

Normalcy restored
So long as invoking domestic and foreign ‘enemies’ is our ‘normal’, expect our tryst with
praetorianism to continue unabated.

Updated 21 Jan 2021

The hazards of governance

The most efficient administrations derive their strength from the quality and regularity
of intra-department consultation.
Editorial
Updated 22 Jan 2021

Time to heal
A multitude of foreign issues will test Biden’s mettle and require progressive thinking.

22 Jan 2021

Foreign funding
AS the pressure builds on his party in the foreign funding case, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for an ...

22 Jan 2021

Decaying PTV
THE Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises has decided to remove Pakistan Television from the list of...

Updated 21 Jan 2021

Agosta kickbacks trial

A POLITICALLY significant trial opened in Paris yesterday. Former French prime minister Edouard Balladur is in the...

Updated 21 Jan 2021

Indian media scandal

Common sense, factual reporting and ethics are all chucked out the window in the maddening race for ratings, influence
and power.

21 Jan 2021

Rising food prices

FOOD inflation continues to challenge the resolve of the government to control the prices of essential kitchen items...