Only Thing Pakistan Minorities Can Do Is To Look To International Bodies Like the UN to Enforce the Treaties and Declarations Pakistan Is Bound By
By Yasser Latif Hamdani
December
7, 2020
The
biggest lie that we often tell ourselves is that religious minorities are equal
citizens of this country. There is not even a pretence of equality beyond a
single line in the Constitution’s Article 25(1) more conspicuous by how much it
is flouted than its implementation. Our leaders say that minorities are better
treated in Pakistan than in India. This is a joke that no one in the world is
ready to buy. Then our leaders have the gall to refer to Jinnah’s 11 August
speech, which spoke of religious identity becoming immaterial and an end to the
classifications of majority and minority i.e. “Hindus will cease to be Hindus
and Muslims will cease to be Muslims … as citizens of one state” and referring
to the poignant period in British history that was marred by the Protestant and
Roman Catholic conflict.” Time and again Mr. Jinnah told people that Pakistan
shall not be a theocratic state. Yet that is precisely what we are under this
current constitution.
This
constitution, which belongs to 1500s if not earlier, differentiates on the
basis of religion. One has written enough times to repeat here. It seeps down
to every day life. For example every religious minority in Pakistan does not
merely need to list his or her religion on the NIC application form but also
give a negative declaration i.e. he or she is not a Muslim. On the face of it
you might say that this splitting hair. However the matter is not merely
psychological. It means that Muslims are somehow the natural real citizens and
proprietors of this country and Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Hindus and so on and
so forth are merely squatters. This kind of is akin to Andrew Jackson’s policy
with regard to Cherokee Indians. Just like the Cherokee Indians, Hindus and
religious minorities have lived here for millennia. Yet they are being treated
like strangers in their own home. The only other example of this kind of plight
is that of the Palestinians in Israel. It is not surprising that both states
are theocratic in nature, though Israel less than Pakistan.
The only
thing minorities can do is to look to international bodies like the UN to
enforce the treaties and declarations Pakistan is bound by
Pakistan
is a powder keg, which can blow up at any time and does so routinely. Even the
so called educated ones are not exempt from it. For example in a WhatsApp group
of highly educated legal professionals, I ventured forth the opinion that the
now departed Khadim Hussain Rizvi was a foul-mouthed cleric, which no
reasonable person can disagree with. I was chided and almost accused of
blasphemy. So it is not just the religious minorities who are second, third,
fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh class citizens (depending on which minority
you are) but even us in the majority. Apparently having a dim view of Khadim
Rizvi is akin to outraging the feelings of the overwhelming majority in
Pakistan. So we are all second class citizens if we don’t fall on the right
side of the hybrid military theocracy i.e. the Military Mullah Alliance. Give
the devil his due, General Musharraf tried to break this alliance and end the
theocracy but even he, supposedly an absolute dictator, was unable to do so. He
was thwarted by the likes of Shujaat Hussain and others. There were other
players involved but this is not the time to get into that. The hold of
religious extremism is so severe that even the military, the progenitors of
this extremism, cannot roll it back.
As for
the religious minorities there is absolutely no hope. They can try and string
together a political alliance or a political party i.e. minorities’ league or
congress or some such. However what good would that do? When the constitution
is at the base theocratic, there is no chance of progress from within.
The only
thing minorities can do is to look to international bodies like the UN to
enforce the treaties and declarations Pakistan is bound by. However Pakistan is
notorious when it comes to flouting international covenants. To begin with
Pakistan puts in so many reservations on the treaty clauses that entire treaty
becomes useless. In the international law circles Pakistan is a joke and a
pariah state. When Pakistan gets elected to UN’s Human Rights Council, it is
seen as a joke and an example of how countries that trample human rights can
become members of the UN Human Rights Council.
In the
long run it will only hurt Pakistan. The posterity, especially that in the
distant future will look back and laugh. If you listen hard enough you can hear
it even now across space time continuum. Others will wonder how it was possible
that such a medieval state could exist in 21 st Century. A future Shakespeare
like playwright will write a tragedy called “Jinnah’s blunder” with Jinnah as a
tragic hero who in the last act would cry out “Pakistan was the biggest blunder
of my life”. A strangely apt ending given that Jinnah was a thespian himself
versed in Shakespeare. Pakistan will likely remain on the wrong side of history
and each government after the other would be worse till Pakistan will become a
Kafkaesque dystopia. There would be no first class citizens, only multitudes of
poor hapless and fearful masses who will cannibalize each other. Such will be
the fate of the theocracy we call Pakistan. The luckier ones would have escaped
it by then.
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Yasser
Latif Hamdani is Barrister of Lincoln's Inn
Original
Headline: Second class citizenship in a theocratic state
Source:
The Daily Times, Pakistan
URl:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism