Where should a Pakistani Hindu go?
With sheer frustration and utter disappointment, I, being a Pakistani Hindu, am fed up with the unending list of unaddressed complaints regarding discrimination, marginalisation and hatred spewed against Hindus in books taught at our schools over the last 68 years.
A few days back, Lal Malhi, PTI’s MNA on a minority seat, seemed to have addressed a similar point when he spoke his heart out in a soaked voice, trying to draw the attention of the Speaker and members of the National Assembly on a point of order.
He commented on how frequently insensitive and outright offensive our parliamentarians usually are when in their rhetoric of jingoism they want to condemn and criticise India and instead start blaming and hurling abuses at Hindus.
`
If there is a doubt about our loyalty or sincerity to Pakistan, then these should be supported with statistics, some facts on how many Pakistani Hindus have betrayed the country or have been tried in courts for treason.
But if there is nothing to show in that regard, then the false propaganda must come to an end and we should be owned and trusted and the state should play a role in stemming the generalised fiction and fabricated tales taught through hate-mongering and biased history in textbooks.
Also read: ‘Pakistan schools teach Hindu hatred’
Recently, Ashok Kumar, a Hindu soldier, who lay down his life fighting in Waziristan in 2013, was awarded Tamgha-i-Shujaat on March 23, 2015. But surprisingly, his name was suffixed with “late” and not “Shaheed” (martyr) as used for Muslim soldiers who have sacrificed their lives. Did Kumar not die for love of country?
He is perhaps the only Hindu who has sacrificed his life in the Pakistan Army. Hindus were not allowed to join the armed forces until before 2000 and were only welcomed in the national military during the reign of Pervez Musharraf. This is in contrast with the country's Christian community whose members have been serving in the army for much longer with many of them having been on senior postings.
Also, to my knowledge and understanding, Pakistani Hindus are also discouraged from serving in the country's secret agencies, whereas India’s Intelligence Bureau was headed by Syed Asif Ibrahim, a Muslim man, for two years.
Come cricket matches, particularly the World Cup and a Pakistani Hindu is intentionally or unintentionally always asked which country he supports in the Pakistan-India match? Do you ever ask a Pakistani Christian this silly question? Do you ever ask them who they support in a Pakistan-Australia or a Pakistan-New Zealand match? No, never. Then why is the Hindu always asked to prove his patriotism and loyalty to Pakistan in this manner?
See: Obfuscating reality: 'They were killed for being Pakistanis, not minorities'
That question has always perplexed my mind. Why are we treated as second-class citizens by the state and why are we discriminated in every walk of life just because we are Hindus?
I can safely say this on behalf of my community that we often feel like citizens of “no man’s land” because here in Pakistan we are treated as Indians and those of us who migrate to India are called Pakistanis. For our love and patriotism for Pakistan, right-wing Indians call us ISI agents, while here just for being Hindu, we are labeled agents of RAW.
Where should we go?
Related: