We usually ignore the rights of minorities and discrimination against them which should be talked about and emphasized about but the irony is we also neglect the community which lies under the religious majority of the country. Yes, it’s the Bihari community that still suffers the lack of recognition for decades. The Biharis who suffered the most during the partition of the sub-continent, sacrificed most during the formation of Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said: “Without the massacre of Bihar, Pakistan would not have materialized.” And again in 1971, they were the worst victims of the conflict between East and West Pakistan. During the partition of Bangladesh, they stood against the partition and were pro-Pakistan which cost them to a great extent. They were termed as traitors and were brutally massacred just because they believed in Pakistan’s unity. 1971 June Biharis were subjected to worst killing and rape and were driven out of their homes.
After the major suffering, it was their right to be treated fairly but unfortunately, they are not given the same status as the other citizens of Pakistan. They also have suffered a lot in the hands of politicians. No government has ever resolved the identity crises they are facing. Let’s just not blame the governments and politicians, did we ever as a nation raised our voice for the rights of our Bihari brothers? Are they less of the patriots? Why their sacrifices and their patriotism for Pakistan not recognized? We as a nation have a moral obligation to the Biharis.
We need to recognize them as heroes and fight for their deserving rights so they can also live like a normal identified citizen. The element of empathy towards Biharis is very important right now. Empathy can be created in society by media. The more we highlight their suffering and become their voice more they will get the recognition that is lost in this chaotic society. Media can bridge the gap and communicate for them and can highlight the importance of them being the worst victims for decades. The suffering needs to end and can only be ended if we unite as a nation and feel empathetic towards the deprived community of Biharis or else we may see devastating consequences. The issue of identity crises is really severe.
The creation of Pakistan was based on the idea that the Muslim community was altogether a separate nation than the Hindus of the subcontinent and not just an ethnic minority. It was the ideology on which Quaid-e-Azam demanded separate land. But the question arises here that are we really acting upon Quaid’s ideology? Our actions led to the contradiction over Jinnah’s promise of protecting the identity of every Muslim as well as minorities.
Our minds are filled with the filth of becoming superior to other ethnic groups and the consequences lead to the conflict within the nation. The concepts of superiority and inferiority, race and origins are embedded in the minds of people that they affiliate themselves strongly to their own ethnic group than that for the country. Only if we start thinking about being a unified nation and think under the same umbrella we could solve the issues like Biharis are facing right now.
The writer is a student of BS Media and Communication Studies at International Islamic University, Islamabad