Holi in Pakistan

The Hindu community in Pakistan has been threatened and accosted since partition. Although it was Jinnah’s intention to unite all races and religions in Pakistan and allow the minorities to live in peace, tolerance in society and the quality of the lives of religious minorities have severely declined since thenl. Individuals belonging to the minorities have been attacked, along with their property and places of work and worship. The blasphemy law has been abused to persecute minority members and wrongly convict them of alleged sacrilege, often without due process, conclusive evidence and as a consequence of misunderstandings. Aside from Christians, Ahmedis, Shias and other Muslim minorities, many Hindu familiess in Pakistan have had to relocate to India, convert — either forcibly or out of fear — and brutally persecuted, simply for being Hindu. Without having the adequate avenues to cremate their dead and perform the final rites in accordance with their religious customs, they have largely had to bury their dead and the graves have often been desecrated. Members of the Hindu community live their lives secluded from the rest of society out of fear of the ever present threat to their security.

The National Students’ Federation (NSF) stepped out in solidarity with the Hindu community on Thursday, the Hindu festival of Holi. The Members of NSF formed a human chain around the Shri Swami Narayan Temple to show their support and protection for their Hindu brethren celebrating Holi, which has either not been celebrated or greatly repressed and subdued in recent years. The threat of violence from militants and extremist groups makes this effort by the NSF to support the largely marginalised community of Hindus in Sindh all the more commendable. The rest of the people of Pakistan, including politicians and those in power, must take a cue from NSF to ensure tolerance and protect the lives and the right to freedom of religion of the minorities. The Liaquat-Nehru pact of 1950, signed by the Prime Ministers of the new states of India and Pakistan recognised the issue of forcible conversions and guaranteed rights to minorities. Since then, the leaders of both states have all but turned a blind eye to the human rights violations committed against these groups. It is due time to return to this sentiment of coexistence and make Pakistan a safe, happy and prosperous place to live for all. Legal action must be taken against those who commit crimes against minorities, schools and other educational institutions must teach and promote respect and tolerance to the coming generations and job opportunities and other avenues must be provided by the state to members of the minorities for the betterment of their lives.