The news that the US Embassy arranged the first ever gay, lesbians and transgender pride celebration ceremony in Islamabad on 26 Jun, 2011 is a bit out of tune for our country. Strangely, a proper press note was also issued for the information of international media. It further stated that this gathering demonstrated continued US Embassy support for human rights, including GLBT rights, in Pakistan at a time when those rights are increasingly under attack from extremist elements throughout the country. According to media reports, over 75 people including mission officers, US military representatives, foreign diplomats, and leaders of Pakistani LGBT advocacy groups, attended the ceremony.
Since Pakistan is a society whose traditions and values, as well as religion, do not permit aberrations in sexual relations, discussing them publicly is not suitable here. The west may have its own standards of morality but trying to impose the here is bound to have a backlash. There may be gays and lesbians in Pakistani society, some of whom were also invited to the celebration, but promoting it publicly will always be seen as an offence against Islam and Pakistani values. What individuals practice in their private lives is their personal affair as long as it does not spread malice in the society.
However, it appears that either the US Embassy deliberately wanted to draw the attention of the Pakistanis away from the US activities against Pakistan in its war on terror, or it is totally oblivious of local sensitivities and wants to impose its so-called liberal thought process without taking the sensitivities involved into consideration.
LT COL (Retd) MUKHTAR AHMED BUTT
Karachi
