Caste is the feature that defines the disquieting uniqueness of the sub-continental society. Caste system as we all know has had its origins in our ancient history. The conflict and interaction between people of Harappa and incoming Aryans thousands of years ago necessitated evolving of a mechanism that could solve the problem of division of work. This notion of division of work wasn’t based on equity and fairness as is invariably the case when it comes to victors and vanquished. It worked to the advantage of the ascendant group who happened to be Aryans.

People of Harappa though far more advanced than Aryans in all fields except warfare were made to acquiesce to an iron-clad new social contract that made most of them subservient to the self-declared upper castes.

Despite the crusades waged by two well-known historical figures Lord Mahavira (the founder of Jainism) and Mahatma Buddha (the founder of Buddhism) against the inhuman edifice of castes, the system resurfaced with a vengeance in the shape of the revival of Brahmanism from first century BC to the fourth century AD which dismantled more humane systems erected by the above-mentioned great thinkers and reformers.

One of reasons ironically was the fact that Jainism and Buddhism proved too advanced for Indian society trapped in the grooves of traditions and superstition which made their demolition easier.

After a lapse of thousands of years a new challenge to caste system came from foreign lands; Invading Arab Muslims from the Middle East and ferocious Muslim Turks descending from the North. Arabs and Turks had no concept of caste. The mainstay of their societies was tribe. And in the tribal society no tribe, whatever its clout in terms of politico-economic power, was considered to be intrinsically superior to other tribes. A sense of equality among tribesmen created a modicum of primitive democracy wrapped in an ambiance of fraternity. Gradually expanding Muslim rule in India had twofold effect; on the one hand it diminished the lofty status of firmly entrenched upper castes in the political and religious domains and on the other attracted quite a sizable number of oppressed and deprived people from so-called lower castes. Long Muslim rule in India though changed the religo-cultural landscape in a fundamental way, the scourge of caste discrimination even among the convert Muslims couldn’t be fully rooted out. Even after the emergence of Pakistan as a new homeland for the North Indian Muslims, caste worship continues though in a thinly concealed manner. Interestingly something odd happened; foreigners (in some cases even local Muslims) claiming descent from the Prophet Muhammad’s ( PBUH) tribe or clan presented themselves as equivalents of Brahman priests to the newly converts who were habituated to see ‘chosen guides’ at the top of caste pyramid. Caste worship, it seems, is in the DNA of sub-continental people as it transcends religious and national boundaries. We decry it and happily live with it.

In contemporary Pakistan especially in Punjab caste plays a significant role on two occasions; match making and elections [whenever they are held]. Marriages outside caste are still frowned upon and resisted [caste is described by words such as zaat/ qaum/ biradari]. Caste’s talons are vulgarly visible in our countryside. If a stranger, for instance, enters a typical village, the first question hurled at him is this: ‘kaun o’ [literally means who you are?]. And if the stranger in response tells his name, the questioned is repeated taking him to be a cretin who doesn’t know how to ‘introduce’ himself. Whenever a stranger is asked ‘kaun o’ it means what’s his zaat/quam [caste/sub caste]. Nobody is initially interested in knowing him as an individual. Intra-caste marriages are apparently insisted upon in order to retain the caste purity which is in fact a myth in the sub-continent that has suffered hundreds of foreign invasions in its long history. Endogamous marriages are an anachronism in an age defined by individual merit, openness and freedom of movement. The phenomenon has some hidden links with property and socio-cultural biases born of conditioned acceptance of hierarchy. How can the bad of one’s caste be preferred to the good of another caste is the question that needs to be probed.

During the elections the ‘biradari card [caste card]’ is played unabashedly to solicit votes. Successive military dictatorships and undemocratic forces in the country have honed the art of caste biases as a political tool to keep the democratic and progressive politicians and workers at bay. Appealing to baser instincts can produce what is described as ‘positive results’ by the powers that be. Merit is something you as a candidate vociferously demand your rival candidate must possess while you are happy with flaunting your ‘biradari’ connections on your campaign trail. Your chances of being elected are further enhanced if you happen to belong to a powerful ‘biradari’ in your constituency which would ensure your success by intimidating the powerless ‘biradaris’ to vote for you. The biradari’s influential and state officials gin up conflicts between different castes/ sub castes to get the results they would be comfortable with. Consequently people are left with nothing but Hobson’s choice. So at the end of the day the parliament is stuffed with the ignoramus and the puppets. Though apparently elected, they do not represent the people and their real aspirations. It in no way implies that we should cast the democratic dispensation aside. What is needed is more of fair and free elections without interference by unhealthy endogenous and exogenous elements. At the moment only way to drive past the miasma of caste hierarchy is urbanisation which can produce respect for individual merit and let the casket of caste sink into the waters of urban anonymity or should we demand as Marx critiquing capitalist democracy demanded the right for the people to end the mandate of their political representatives and pull them out of parliament once they feel they [representatives] no longer represent them? But that would be asking for the moon. — soofi01@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2018