Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s decision to finally embrace the white in the Pakistani flag is a much-needed step in the right direction, albeit seven decades late. Giving recognition to minorities helps establish a sense of assurance that they too matter to their motherland. No qualms about that. In this age of social media, even the so-called untouchable celebrities are not safe from the lashing tongues. From having to explain why they posted a picture standing next to a Christmas tree on Christmas to being forced to come out in the open about a very private issue–faith–there is literally no shortage of the mentally deranged, self-appointed warriors of the religion. But simply lighting up a few streets, putting up flashy banners and donating to a few places of worship does not hold the power to magically seal all wounds. Wasn’t it just last month that a member of a right-wing religious party stood before the senate to demand fool-proof security for minorities? The uproar over brutally desecrated bodies of Sikh traders demands a little more than colourful headlines. As long as the authorities show an exemplary performance and win an indictment against those who wished to appease their bloodlust using communal weapons, all claims of Pakistan belonging to all Pakistanis sound nothing more than sensational platitudes. If the present-day government is actually interested in restoring the status quo to what the founding father had envisaged in 1947, a good starting step would be to disperse the persistently looming cloud of fear. The uncertainty over where a single misstep can land reigns over most of the vulnerable groups, forbidding them to make any meaningful stride. Their identity cards may accept them as having been born in the country of the pure, but in the eyes of their brethren far and wide, many always appear as children of the lesser god. And while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is charting out a plan to earn their goodwill, why not start with pursuing the already-folded idea to form a National Commission for Minorities? The best way to tell a community(ies) that it is loved and owned by its state is by allowing it the liberty to practice whatsoever it chooses. After all, the state has no business interfering in religion. *