Some Pakistanis living overseas, belonging to the Diaspora community, are working tirelessly to import the democratic principles of their new-found homes to Pakistan. However, there are also those in the Diaspora community who either continually support military dictatorships or propagate conservative religious ideologies for Pakistan. These Pakistani migrants seem to mirror the words of Marie Antionette when she was informed that the French people were dying of starvation. “Let them eat cake,” is their mantra; as some in the Diaspora community stand silent when the democratic regimes or minorities of Pakistan suffer attacks from tyrannical bigoted forces.

While many have studied Pakistanis living in the Middle East and the conservative ideologies they imported back home, little has been said about the great number of Pakistanis living in Western democratic societies. With over 300,000 individuals of Pakistani origin living in North America and two million in Europe, and four billion dollars in remittances each year, one would think that there would be a similar exchange as with Mid-east migrants. However, many members of the Western Diaspora have not imported back ideals of secularism and democratic rule because they are “foreign to Pakistan.”

One could explain the imbalance of ideology imported from states like Saudi Arabia rather than the US by stating that Mid-east nations share an Islamic faith with Pakistan, rather than the ‘God-less’ secular West. However, in terms of sociology, the West has far more akin to Pakistan’s heterogeneous society than the Arab states of the Mid-East. One can compare the problems of Los Angeles with its race-based gangs to Karachi’s ethnic strife far easier than the issues of Riyadh.

However, many will reject any comparison between Pakistan and the US as impractical, because Pakistan is third world nation while the US is an imperial power. The US, despite popular opinion, cannot be described as one imperial blob, but rather a society divided by race, class, and other factors. Thus, within both the imperial power and third world nation exists a similar multitude of religious and ethnic minorities, who are all striving for the same rights.

A major difference between the Western world and Pakistan is the legal protections afforded to minorities that guarantee them safety and equality. There are hundreds of cases of racism against Muslims and Pakistanis living in Western countries. However, there are constitutional amendments and courts that actively prohibit discrimination and protect the right of all citizens to practice their religion openly.

The same cannot be said for Pakistan’s religious minorities who are brutally murdered or shamed in public without any type of actionable legal recourse. Last week, the church and homes of a Lahori Christian community were bulldozed by the Punjab Government without any care for the fact that Christians have long faced abuse in Pakistan. Asia Bibi still sits in a jail due to her religious beliefs and unsupported claims that she committed blasphemy. Ahmedis face a similar treatment as they are not permitted to call themselves Muslims according to a constitutional provision.

While the Shias, Ahmedis, Christians, and Hindus of Pakistan may be in the same numerical position as Pakistanis living overseas, there is little correlation between the rights each is afforded by their government and society. And while all these injustices continue to take place, there is little public discussion about these issues amongst the Diaspora community.

The other regressive element supported by some overseas Pakistanis is the nostalgia for military dictatorship. In recent months the chorus of pro-military Pakistani Diaspora members has reached a fevered pitch. This subset of the Diaspora community claims that Pakistan’s politicians are all corrupt criminals, and that the men in khaki are the only proper stewards of the country. Their words are a gross display of insensitivity to the thousands of voices silenced by Pakistan’s military dictators.

Further, since individuals are living in the West, they will never face the bullets or batons of military dictatorships. Thus, their prescription that military rule is the only one that will work in Pakistan seems hypocritical. One can agree that Western nations have given greater powers to their intelligence agencies and militaries in the era of terrorism, but all these institutions are subservient and pledge allegiance to their democratic orders.

The same cannot be said for the Pakistani military, which has perfected the art of sabotaging and brutally murdering democratic forces in the nation. Thus, the undying support of Pakistanis living abroad for the military as the only “guys that can get it done,” disregards the shadowy work of the Army and its intelligence agencies.

Not only are many oblivious to the backhand deals of the military, the rise of satellite televisions now beams conservative news networks 24/7 into Pakistani living rooms across the world. The more the media continues its siege on the Zardari regime (as it has done with every civilian regime in the nation’s history), the more the Diaspora community seems to believe in the power of the military. Thus, they are holding fundraisers and showing public support for ex-dictator Musharraf and military-approved Imran Khan.

Those justifying military rule for Pakistan cite to the criminal acts of Zardari, but from my recollection, Zardari never imposed martial law on the nation, Zardari never armed and trained the Taliban to kill Pakistanis, and Zardari never put the justices of the Supreme Court under house arrest.  None of these outright illegal and brutal actions could be taken regularly by any military in the world, except Pakistan’s. Therefore, one should ask how dare some Pakistanis abroad attempt to paint military dictatorship as proper for Pakistan but improper for their own personal lives.

There is certainly a Diaspora duty that Pakistanis should become aware of. These groups should be petitioning their governments and speaking out in favor of the abused minorities of Pakistan, because they enjoy protection as minorities in the West. In that vein, many individuals belonging to the Diaspora need to do more in standing up for the democratic regimes that can bring the same order and peace to Pakistan as they have experienced in the West.

One recent example of a positive citizen involvement that lent support to the democratic regime in Pakistan was the letter sent to Hilary Clinton written by the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. This letter petitioned the US government to take notice of the unjust treatment of former ambassador Hussain Haqqani, as he faces charges lobbed by the deep state against him and has been reduced to veritable house arrest. As a signatory to this letter, I was able to use my rights as a US citizen to petition my government to defend those battling anti-democratic forces in Pakistan, as my fellow citizens can and should do.

*Illustration by Abro

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.