Daily Times

Sir: The recent attacks on minorities in interior Sindh must ring alarm bells for Sindhi nationalists. The province, which has so far been safer for minorities, is now slowly falling into the hands of exclusivists. Sindh has been known for its inclusive, humanistic religious social tradition. The attacks have raised some very fundamental and challenging questions for the forces of nationalism blended with Sufism, which has long been the custodian of inter-religious harmony in Sindh. Are these forces weakening under pressure from systematic state-backed radicalisation? What is the future of Sindhi nationalism, which has its roots in one of the greatest civilisations that ever existed — Moenjodaro?

It is ironic that the rulers of Sindh, who have been shrewdly manipulating the slogan of Sindhi nationalism for their own political gains, celebrate the antiquity of Sindh but in reality their political approach is more of a kind of political pragmatism plus political populism. However, everything is not lost in Sindh. The majority of Sindhis are still open-minded and tolerant but the question is: is the province united to check the faith-based narrative of nationalism? The government of Sindh must make sure that it is countering the exclusivist narrative through the education system. Conferences could be organised regularly to educate newer generations of Sindhis about their rich cultural heritage. The role of the Sindhi media is vital in propagating tolerance in Sindh.
Malik Atif
Melbourne,
Australia