Daily Times

Scotland’s Humza Yousaf taking his oath of allegiance in a black sherwani has been making rounds on social media as a true feel-good moment for millions of Pakistanis. One of their own rising from the secluded streets of Mian Channu to hold the seal as the first non-White head of the government inspires them that hard work does pay off, eventually. However, in this largely understandable wave of euphoria, many conveniently forget this historic moment is actually a far greater reflection of how another country embraced someone who did not look like them, speak like them or pray like them and paved the path of his ascent to the top-most leadership positions.

Taking a closer look in our backyard would reveal reports of a prominent Hindu opthalmologist brutally shot dead in Karachi. This tragedy has come on the heels of yet another targeted attack where someone working for a Hindu doctor slit his throat with a knife. While it would be naive to assume crimes cease to exist in the First World, Pakistan’s widespread notoriety as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for religious minorities does force one to pay heed to the elephant in the room. Why is it that our obsession with the crusade to protect religious freedom in the neighbourhood fails to inspire enthusiasm to sort our own house?

Last year, an unrelenting witchhunt of members of the Sikh community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continued to poke holes in our security narrative, but little transpired in the illustrative corridors. Minorities have been quietly packing up their bags and leaving for safer pastures because their lives and livelihoods are in grave danger yet the authorities are far too overwhelmed with the politicking to bother. Those who still choose to stay are forced to grapple with consistent persecution and nauseating hate material (institutionalised by textbooks). Instances of forced conversions and desecration of places of worship have become part and parcel of their lives. Sadly, no uproar is strong enough to rattle the authorities out of their complacency. Even though every political party makes use of reserved electoral seats, no one appears willing to talk about the apartheid right underneath our noses. Going by the actual data, we should reconsider the white portion of our flag: either slim it down to a sliver or actually do something beyond lip service. *