Adil Najam
Ordinarily, I might have just posted this photograph below as a comment on yesterday’s post on Diwali celebrations in Karachi (also here). But please, just look at the people in this photograph; its way too interesting to be relegated to a comments section.
The occasion is a Diwali celebration at the Islamabad Headquarters of the Pakistan Muslim League, standing (and clapping) extreme left is Syed Mushahid Hussain, Secretary General of the Pakistan Muslim League, next to him is Ijaz ul Haq (Minister of Religious Affairs, and son of Gen. Zia ul Haq), fourth from left is Tariq Azim, State Minister for Information.
The Daily Times (31 October, 2006) provides more details of the event:
Members of the Hindu community from across the country participated in the event where they performed their religious rituals and traditional dances in candlelight to mark the event… A number of office bearers of the party and ministers, including PML Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Syed, Minister for Religious Affairs Ijaz-ul-Haq, State Minister for Information Tariq Azim, Minister for Minorities Affairs Mushtaq Victor and members of the National Assembly (MNAs) Bindara, Donia Aziz, Akram Masih Gill and others were present on the occasion. Officials of the Indian High Commission also participated in the event.
Hussain said that Quaid-e-Azam had envisioned a Pakistan where all the religious minorities enjoyed equal rights. He underlined the importance of inter-faith harmony for the greater prosperity of the nation and announced that the PML would also celebrate the birthday of Baba Gurunanak next week. He said that the minorities played a vital role in building any nation. He said that the present government was allocating high importance to giving all minorities’ equal. Hindus are playing a leading role in country’s economic development and the present government will leave no stone unturned to ensure their safety and well being, he added.
This is, of course, a political gesture – some might even say a gimmick. But if so, let us have more such gestures and gimmicks. They will, in time, hopefully help change our perceptions and treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan.
Dear Sridhar
I couldn’t find any literature on whether Diwali in sindh includes Ram-Leela. I did find this link though which talks about some of the Sindhi Diwali traditions. You may have to scroll down on the link.
http://www.sydneysindhi.com/diwali.html
Samdani:
There is often an oversimplication of complex histories. I may often be guilty of that too. However, I completely disagree with your analogy for various reasons.
As far as the BJP is concerned, it would be incorrect to term its ideology religiously inspired. It is not (the VHP is different, though once again its agenda is entirely political). Advani is a self-declared near-atheist, who has not visited a temple in years (and shares many other traits with Jinnah sb. – personally incorruptible, articulate and convincing in his arguments, a liberal in his personal life etc.). Praveen Togadia (the public face of the VHP) is not even a Hindu – he is a Jain. The BJP is a communitarian party (i.e. the interests of one community is its overriding political concern, even at the cost of interests of all others or general wellbeing of society) just as the AIML was.
And people often forget that the AIML aligned itself with the Barelvis – so to claim that the religious elements aligned only with the Congress is not the full truth. Yes, many Deobandis did align with Congress due to the influence of Maulana Azad, but if you see their reasons for doing so, they are ones any liberal would be willing to embrace. It was a better phase (and face) of these religious elements. And the Barelvis who aligned with the AIML showed the worst face of the religious elements, shamelessly exploiting religion to create mass hysteria and violence.
The PML of today, as the BJP in recent times, has power as its overriding concern. If pandering to religious extremism gets it to power, it would use it (like it did during the Zia, IJI and “Brute Majority of Mian sb” days). If, on the other hand, showing a liberal face is the need of the hour, it will do that too, just as the BJP tried in 2004 under Vajpayee (with the funny spectacle of a campaign in his favour led by the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid in Delhi). The credibility of these parties when they show a liberal face, is low, to say the least. The Congress of today is not very different, though there is less willingness to pander to religious extremism (the willingness is not zero in the Congress case either).
Anyway, sorry about this digression into history (which happens to be a favourite subject for me). I think we can all agree that there is much to be done to promote minority welfare in the region. Though the situations are different in the different countries, there is much distance to be traversed in each of them before they can claim to be societies that are just and provide equal opportunities to all communities.
I can buy your argument that these gestures do make a difference, at least in atmosphere. But they are baby steps nonetheless. Real steps will involve solving day-to-day issues faced by the minorities, whether it is overt or subtle forms of discrimination, or economic marginalization. I can certainly say that in India, these real steps need to be taken before we come anywhere close to the ideals we claim to have set for ourselves.
PML sides with right wing parties only to remain in power. That is the only reason it has to compromise and backtrack on bills which they themselves bring on the assembly floor.
[quote comment=”6699″]PML of today is as secularist of a party as it can be. [/quote]
Don’t know about that. PML N and PML Q always seem to side with Mullahs on issues like Hudood ordinance and their reluctance to oppose it proves it.
PML of today is as secularist of a party as it can be. I don’t see any right leaning in them. It is also splintered into more than 6 groups. Most of them joining hands with whoever is in power.