Daily Times

With the newfangled wave of theocracy in the country, minorities are reminded of their pitiful state in Pakistan. A few aggressive Islamists have put the government on its knees. The momentum of their power can be compared to the 2014 PTI sit-in, which could not stir the government, but this small group of abusive human machines turned the whole country upside down.

The government’s blunder of reforming the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath statement aroused the anger of the fundamentalists which indeed should not have happened in the first place, but an early solution would have avoided the mess. The heat of the situation was also felt by the international media as well as the concerned communities. Internationally, this agitation was against the government for bringing changes to the blasphemy laws and paving the constitutional path for the Ahamadia community to be part of the mainstream political system.

By coincidence, in the Universal Periodic View, the US recommended repealing the blasphemy law which was knotted to the folly of the government of the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat issue by the protestors revitalising their birthright to speak against American and Pakistani minorities. There is a long-standing narrative of the international community working to repeal the blasphemy laws in the country. Why this happens, should be asked from the Pakistani legislators who for their vested agendas introduced controversial constitutional provisions, which are even now becoming the neck trap for the legislators too. Ironically, the West that speaks against such legislation, becomes the refuge of those who form such laws. There are three notable minorities groups in Pakistan; Ahmadis, Christians and Hindus.

After the anti-Ahmadi legislation in 1974, the group has remained constitutionally isolated, even though the community never negated their Muslim identity. The constitution has pushed them into the minorities’ column whereas Ahmadis never adopted the constitutional narrative. Therefore, a battle continues between two opposite camps in the country.

Obviously, being an affected community, Ahmadis raise their issues worldwide and from time to time the international community demands fair treatment and constitutional share for their equal rights. However, the issue of the ‘finality of the Prophethood’ is between Ahmadis and Muslims, the Ahmadi community is challenging the broader faith and as a result the community is constitutionally handicapped just as other minorities are proclaimed non-Muslims and are treated as badly as Ahmadis in their countries. In recent religious protests, many versions of speeches have been directly targeted at Asia Bibi and the Christian community. The poor Christian community is facing a double-edged sword because of their shared faith and they are believed to be the agents of the West.

The Western countries never own them on the basis of religion, which might be a rightful act because as citizens of an independent sovereign state they should be given equal constitutional rights in their country of origin. All over the world minorities synchronize with the majority but still face many social difficulties. Whether in the East or the West, minorities find it harder to get social approval. In the UK, Europe and USA ethnic minorities have issues too but still there is equality and justice in these societies. Minorities in India are treated as badly as in Pakistan.

Christians and Muslims are in a perpetual struggle for their civil rights. ‘Come home’ is a movement to convert Christians and Muslims to Hinduism. But how could the fact be denied that the Indian constitution does not hold such provisions which segregates minorities from the larger social fabric of the country.

Dr Zakir Hussain, an educationalist and champion of secularism, Fakhurddin Ali Ahmed, an India Statesman and Avul Pakir Jainulabedeen, the ‘Missile Man of India’ were all Muslim Presidents of India. Unlike Pakistan, the Indian constitution does not punish its minorities but gives rights to hold the highest office of the State whereas the constitution of Pakistan does not allow any non-Muslims to acquire the position of the President, Prime Minister, Governors of Provinces, Chief of Army Staff or other alike.

In contrast, Sadiq Khan, a Muslim Mayor of London represents 8 million people with 90% majority of white Christian or non-Christian voters, his loyalty as a British citizen is never questioned, nor he compromises his extraordinary position as Mayor of London.

In Pakistan, Christians and Hindus are the main stakeholders of the minorities’ representation, but totally dis-united, dismantled and disorganised, the main reason is the broken ideologies attached to their allegiance with the majority’s political parties. Before 2002, separate electorate for minorities was as bad a joke as the present selection system that has put minorities in tiny social pockets where they have lost their identity and chances to get united at a platform. Because of lack of their influence and status quo, the constitutional conspiracy against minorities has never been challenged by minorities’ leaders.

The solution lies in unity, strength in collaboration, energy in coordination, oneness in slogans and firm demonstration in action. The present political leadership of minorities has been disowned by their respective communities. All major political parties in the country must realise the pain minorities feel because of the political structure offered to them by the constitution of Pakistan.

An urgent amendment in the constitution could rescue minorities making their voice heard in the parliaments. What could be worse than this, that after compilation of the national census 2017, the national enumeration of transgenders (though they have rejected the results) has been announced but figures of minorities have not yet been released even though the Minister for Statistics belongs to a minority community. Apparently, his numbness always put minorities in trouble.

The latest evidence of minorities’ vulnerability was witnessed in the Islamabad sit-in while the Barelvi protestors alleged that police personnel responsible for evacuating Islamabad on operation day were non-Muslims as no Muslim policeman could act against the protestors standing for the finality of the Prophethood.

The legislation regarding Khatam-e-Nabuwat was totally irrelevant to the minorities but the issue is directly reciprocal to them, whenever and wherever blasphemy legislation directly or indirectly is discussed, minorities are put into trouble. Therefore, this dharna has once again raised the susceptibility of collective social aggression against religious minorities. In these circumstances, all active sides of the minorities’ leadership should highlight their demands for the fair share through the constitutional amendments reclaiming their lost rights promised by the founder of Pakistan.

The writer can be reached on kaleem.dean@mail.com

Published in Daily Times, December 1^st 2017.