IN a fitting tribute to a trailblazer in the field of theoretical physics, the British government has declared the London residence of Pakistani scientist Dr Abdus Salam a national heritage site. Today, a distinctive blue plaque can be seen outside his home in Putney — a symbol in the UK that formally commemorates the link of an influential person to a location. Indeed, the late Dr Salam is in excellent company, as prior recipients of the blue plaque include Charles Darwin, Rosalind Franklin and Alan Turing — all outstanding personalities in the world of science and respected internationally. But sadly, while the UK and many other countries pay homage to the incredible contributions of their scientists, in Pakistan, the home country of Dr Salam, this blue plaque will not prompt celebrations.

It is one of the biggest tragedies of our times that we as a nation ignore and even revile a personality like Dr Salam, who is considered one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. The first Pakistani to win the prestigious Nobel Prize in the sciences, Dr Salam is conspicuously missing from our history books and school lessons. The movement that for decades has forced so many from the minority Ahmadi community out of Pakistan has built such a strong and lethal structure of hate that it leaves little room even for those in power to acknowledge the extraordinary achievements of a gifted scientist. In the West, Dr Salam is recognised for the landmark scientific milestones he and his colleagues achieved in the theory of fundamental forces; however, at home, no government official would dare to acknowledge his greatness — let alone welcome the blue plaque that has now been installed outside his residence in London. The silence surrounding this development cements Pakistan’s position as extremely poor when it comes to religious freedom. For a government that prides itself on being an unwavering voice for religious minorities everywhere, such instances are a test case for measuring tolerance at home.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2020