The distribution is not equal among the whole population, thus there is demarcation among various socioeconomic groups of a country. One of the worst outcomes of income inequality is poverty, which is considered to be fatal for any nation’s development because poverty breeds more poverty, which engulfs the whole nation. According to the World Bank, poverty manifests itself in many forms across time and place but it is an alarming sign, and experts call for action so that many others can be saved from becoming its victims.
It is reported that the poverty rate among ethnic minority groups especially Christians in Pakistan is twice as much as for Muslims. People in minority ethnic communities are being overlooked for jobs and are being paid lower wages, despite improvements in education and qualifications. A research organization has found that religious minorities in Pakistan are deliberately kept low in census figures to deny them greater representation. Already Pakistan is listed at seventh amongst the ten countries notorious for being dangerous for religious minorities. Even then our ruler are not serious to solve these issues. The present PML-N government does not have the minorities’ support since they deny minorities’ rights. I don’t support celebrating minorities’ day as I see no cause for celebrating August 11 as Minorities Day. It is an aspersion on the Pakistan movement and the dream that was Pakistan. Even then it is observed that the PML-N didn’t take any interest in minorities’ day.
The idea of an exclusive day for minorities that both Cecil Chaudry and Shahbaz Bhatti pushed has nothing to do with celebration. It was the beginning of a vibrant struggle that seems to peter out. The purpose was to reawaken Pakistanis across the entire spectrum to the reality of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s speech that underlined the need to cut across all religious, ethnic and sub-nationalist divides to work for Pakistani nationalism. In any case, this day is rather a reminder that the Pakistani establishment and people are yet to live up to the dream of its founding father. If anything, it remains a black day for all Pakistanis that include religious minorities and suppressed groups.
It is time to contemplate and act. Three Christian human rights activists that formed a formidable trio are no more with us. Bishop John Joseph shot himself in utter frustration. Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated fighting for the release of Aasia Bibi and before that trying to bring the culprits of Gojra, Sambrial and Gujranwala to book. Cecil, fighting his last battle with cancer, died a few years ago. So where are those who will now carry the baton?
Let us face the realities that haunt Pakistan in real time. With them no more amongst us, the chronology of events leading to Minorities Day leaves no room to rejoice. It is a call for action. It is a reminder that the struggle must continue towards a plural and egalitarian Pakistan. And I am in favour that this day should therefore, as Brigadier Samson Simon Sharaf suggests, be called a National Solidarity Day. In any case, these objectives cannot be achieved by one single community. It takes two to tango and in this Wild Pakistan we see today, it would take many more to reject hate and shake hands.
August 11, 1947 is a far cry and lots of water has passed under the bridge. Pakistan is now divided beyond religious lines. Ethnicity, sectarianism, sub-nationalism and militancy are all eating into the foundations of the country like a cancer whose tentacles have spread everywhere. Only revulsion from within can bring an internal change and hence the revival of Jinnah’s dream formulated with the close association of Christians, Hindus, Parsees, Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis. To those jubilant about Minorities Day I say, “You have no desire and you can never do it alone.”
There was something ironic about August 11 this year. I saw the biggest joker of Christian rights in Pakistan Julius Salik join the election campaign of Advocate Ashraf Gujjar for NA-48. Yes he is the same Gujjar who garlanded Mumtaz Qadri and who feels he must be released. It is the same Mumtaz Qadri who took the law into his own hands and killed Salmaan Taseer in cold blood. This is an ugly side of one of our leaders who is a self-proclaimed champion of human rights while he has done nothing practically for their rights. I found Basharat Khokhar better helping Christians in Islamabad than this leader. J Salik arranged a commiseration for Qazi Husain Ahmad after his death but never spoke a single word for Shahbaz Bhatti. Qazi Husain Ahmad was the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, a fundamentalist religious organization.
Again for the local bodies elections to be held till September 15 as the Supreme Court has ordered, big Muslim political parties will bring puppets from minorities. There is no right to minorities to elect their representatives who can be their voice.
I am giving a wakeup call to all religious minorities in Pakistan, which may be the last chance to contribute before the local bodies elections. We need to stand against discrimination hand in hand with all oppressed people of Pakistan. If the authorities don’t agree to give us our rights; we need to carve out our space in Pakistan. We are sons and daughters of this land and we made Pakistan happen. I want the nation to stand up at once for their rights.
The writer is a human rights activist and is working as a stringer, specialising in writing about minority rights for various national and international papers