Adil Najam
[UPDATE: Unfortunately the story of Gulab Singh has not been a pleasant one since the great start that this post originally reported on. Current, and still evolving details, here.]Â
A few days ago a reader sent me a link to a BBC story about Dr. Gulab Singh Shaheen who has been inducted into the Pakistan Punjab traffic police and has become a celebrity on the roads of Lahore where he is quite literally stopping the traffic as Lahoris stop to embrace and greet him.
I felt real good about the continuation of this trend towards reintegrating minority communities who have been systematically sidelined in the past, and even more about the wonderful reception Lahore is giving to Sub-Inspector Gulab Singh. And, of course, my fascination with traffic cops is well known to ATP readers (here, here, here, here, and elsewhere).
However, I hesitated because I wanted an on the ground confirmation. That came today from the Lahore Metroblog (yes, in general, I have more respect for the three Pakistani Metroblogs than for BBC!).
(By the way, I am intrigued by the fact that he is a homeopathic doctor since we had earlier carried another post and video report on the Khalsa Dawakhana and Hakim Sarbir Singh; of course, Sikhs have a long history in what is now Pakistan – here and here – but I wonder whether and why this community has a particular focus on traditional medicine studies).
It turns out, in fact, that Daily Times had a wonderful story on him last week which I had missed earlier. Here is what it said:
“Since yesterday, I have been hearing different greetings, such as sat sari kaal, jo bolay so nihal and ballay ballay from car and bus drivers, motorcyclists and children. Lahoris are really very loving people and these are unforgettable moments for me,” remarked Dr Gulab Singh, the first-ever Sikh to be appointed traffic police warden in Pakistan, in an exclusive interview with Daily Times.
Gulab, the 25-year-old Sikh traffic warden, who hails from Nankana Sahib and now lives in Defence Housing Authority, said that joining the force as a sub-inspector was a dream come true for him. Pledging to do his duty wholeheartedly, he said that the loving welcome he had received from the public had added to his joy. He said he had joined his duty station on Wednesday, and by the second day, dozens of children had forced their parents to stop the car so that they could meet him. Singh is deputed on Alif Laam Meem Chowk on Aziz Bhatti Road in Cantt.
Gulab said he was born in Nankana district in January 1982. His father, Manna Singh, is a farmer and a father of seven – five boys and two girls. Gulab is the youngest of the siblings. Gulab completed his matriculation in Nankana district, graudation in Lahore and then received a doctorate in homeopathy from Bahawalpur. Gulab said he also operated a homeopathic clinic, which he might have to shut down because of his new and demanding posting.
Gulab said he applied for the sub-inspector post when announcements inviting applications appeared in newspapers, but did not tell his family. He informed them only after he was appointed, which translated into a delightful surprise for them, he added. Commenting on his training process, Gulab said, “The attitude of my fellow trainees and officers was very good towards me. Nobody ever forced me to do anything against my religious beliefs.” He said he had no problems wearing his kara (bangle), or keeping his kirpan (dagger) on him. He added that, as he was a vegetarian, green meals were arranged for him in the mess during the training period. “I am very grateful to my officers for this gesture,” Gulab said.
Gulab is multilingual and has command over Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Seraiki, and Sindhi. He added, “I can also speak English, but not very fluently.” Gulab also said that he was fond of Punjabi bhangra music and that his favourite singers are Abrar-ul-Haq, Harbajhan Maan and Waris Baig. In terms of the future, Gulab said, “I will do my duty honestly, work like a true and dutiful citizen, and dream of a corruption-free atmosphere.”
Hi, Lahori, it was not my intention to “chest-thump in arrogant self-congratulation.” There is not much to self-contratulate about either society, you’re right about that. But one thing about India stands out in stark contrast to both Pakistan and Bangladesh — despite the overall economic and social disadvantages of Muslim fellow-Indians, and yes, despite the occasional Ayodhya or Gujrat, there has never been as systematic and as persistent an exodus of Muslims from India (except in the immediate aftermath of the Partition) as the vice-versa migration from the other side. Sociologists say that the biggest indicator of how safe a minority community feels in a given society is its growth rate — the Muslim population in India has grown from about 9% at the time of Independence to over 14% now. Within the same time, the proportion of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians in both wings of the erstwhile Greater Pakistan has dwindled continuously. Doesn’t that say at least a little bit about the relative safe space available in each of our societies? And you’re right, the rich and the famous are different…no matter which ethnic or religious group they might belong to, at least they can buy their freedoms — most of the time. The others are not so lucky.
This is funny! Why are Lahoris embracing this guy specially? In reading the post, I could get nothing that told me what he had achieved to deserve special affection. In the absence of that, I think Lohoris seem a bit too sentimental.
Lahori — Since our forefathers insisted on a state based on religious identity and fear of majority prosecution within India, I will suggest that we have a greater need to live up to secular freedoms and show it wasn’t just self-interest that asked for Pakistan. We should ideally sympathize better with the minorities, shouldn’t we, given we were once at the receiving end?
Mohan, why must all Indians commenting here indulge in this self-righteous and arrogant expression of superiority. You really think the world does not know of the state of minorities in India? I am not going to indulge in a litany of genocides and marginalizations because that would make my comment as petty as your own. If you honestly beleive that India is a great heaven for its minorities, then I wish you the best in your state of delusion.
You must be right. You are pavitr. Enjoy your haughtiness.
Some of Pakistan’s richest people are also from its minority communities, we have also had and now have non-Muslim sports heros and cultural icons… but these few token successes are no more a proof of minorities doing well in Pakistan than the token few in India are a proof of the same there. You can only measure it by looking at the overal numbers and by looking at the most deprived in these communities. You may want to blind yourself of the facts, but in al honesty neither of our countries has much to be proud of there.
We, at least have finally begun accepting our mistakes. We know that we have a long long way to go. But at least we have stopped fooling ourself that all is good. I wish and pray that one day India will also start solving its own problems rather than poking their nose in other people’s business and telling them how bad they are and how wonderful India is. But that is for you and your compatriots to do; I can promise this, I will not come and chest-thump in arrogant self-congratulation.
Good luck.
While it’s heart-warming to see Lahoris taking this low-ranking Sikh traffic officer to their collective hearts, as an Indian I can’t help feeling a little bemused. Isn’t it the rarity of instances like Gulab Singh that makes it such a notable piece of news in Pakistan? If people like Rana Bhagwandas and Sub Inspector Gulab Singh are being celebrated for their modest successes – after sixty years of independence! – what does that say about the general place of minorities in Pakistani society? We have our own problems with minority representation in India, but we’ve had Muslim Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, Air Force commanders-in-chief, top industrialists – not to mention sports and entertainment celebrities – for ages. It’s also kinda hard to forget that at the time of partition in 1947, the western wing of Pakistan had a non-Muslim population of 15% (the percentage in the eastern half was much larger). Today, it is, what, 3 percent or so? Where did all those people go?
Still, better late than never. So my best wishes to Officer Gulab Singh and all his well-wishers.
umar khan: You are right. Ahmadis in Pakistan indeed have been treated very wrongly. I have personally witnessed this wrong. I hope we do not digress here into ‘Qadiani’ debate but I do sympathise with you and your family and indeed with your group. Take it for what ever its worth. But in general, non-Muslims in Pakistan, and by that I mean Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Parsis do have a normal and peaceful coexistence with Muslims.
And to my Lahori friend: If ‘things’ are ‘bad’ then they are bad all over and not just for the religious minorities alone. Bad people do bad things and usually minorities are an easy pick. This is universal and not just limited to Pakistan. Most Pakistanis are decent and peaceful people. They do not go out of their way to hurt any body, including non-Muslims among them.