Imran Khan has unwittingly become the poster boy for Pakistan’s polarisation. To some he is Taliban Khan. To others he is a man who may or may not have committed a transgression of sorts while visiting the shrine of a revered Sufi saint. Our position is very clear. We believe that matters of faith or displays of reverence for Sufis ought to remain a private matter; not for public consumption or scrutiny. Regardless of whether or not an individual is a political figure. Indeed, people should be free to visit houses of worship belonging to other faiths as long as they conduct themselves in a manner that is respectful to those who have opened their doors. In short, it should be emphasised that the PTI supremo is undeserving of the backlash that followed his visit to Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar’s shrine this week. That being said, we hope that the incident has taught Mr Khan an important lesson. Namely, the need to stand up to the extreme elements of the religious right wherever they may be and whomsoever they choose to target. Thus we hope that Imran will use ‘shrine-gate’ to revisit his positon on the use of religion in politics. Many of his ticket holders are using the slogan of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat for political mileage. This discourse has a direct impact on the status of Ahmadis as they are on the receiving end of the backlash for their religious views. In fact, the Ahmadis have been socially excluded, politically disenfranchised and fall victim to charged mobs. The least that PTI can do is to stand up for the rights of these Pakistani citizens and correct the historic wrongs. To be sure, it is not just PTI that courts the religious right in terms of vote-banks. The PMLN has been doing this for years. But the former is the political force that promised real change for the country and all those who live within its borders. And for that to happen, we must begin with sincerely subscribing to this simple notion: one Pakistan, one people. * Published in Daily Times, June 30th 2018.