The white in our flag stands too often unrecognised
If one thinks about national heroes of Pakistan, immediately the martyrs of 1965 and 1971 comes to the mind. Similarly, if one stretches their imagination back to Independence or perhaps pre-Independence days, quite a few names make their appearance on the screen of our minds. It is assumed that all these heroes have something in common: all of them were Muslims. This creates the binary between the Muslim majority and the Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and Parsi minorities of Pakistan. One wonders at that: why are there no heroes from the minority communities? The answer is simple. They have heroes, but they remain unsung. Bhagat Singh is one such hero who was sentenced to death in 1931, as he was accused of conspiring against the British Raj. And before the noose was tied around his neck, he kissed it and yelled, “Down with British Imperialism.” Some may argue that he had nothing to do with our Independence, the separation of Pakistan and India. Well, Mohammad Bin Qasim had nothing to do with Independence from the British Crown, but he is still hailed as a hero.
It may be a pleasing thought for a Muslim Pakistani, but it might be unsettling for Pakistani minority. A question arises out of this situation, why are we only reminded of Muslim heroes who fought for Independence? The answer may lie in the fact that these names are often repeated in the textbooks, and they are celebrated amongst the masses on certain national days. While this may kindle patriotism amongst Muslims, they might kindle questions amongst the minorities.
The minorities may be led to believe that they played no part in the creation of Pakistan, that they were inherently inclined towards the British or Hindustan, it’s just that they couldn’t migrate to India, and so they are stuck here. This in fact is a technique through which nothing is said out loud, but it is implied that the minorities are outsiders. This leads to their marginalisation and the source of constant fear that anything they say, verbally or on social media, might be taken against them. Their worst fear is that their entire families will be tormented as well as themselves. Michelle Bhatti*, a teacher in Lahore College of Theology and an enthusiast of inter-faith harmony says, “Pakistani Christians face mistrust, both in Pakistan and abroad. There are two parts of this term, one is Pakistani, and the other is Christian. Majority of Pakistanis mistrust the “Christian” part, and foreigners mistrust the “Pakistani” part. So, people who think that Minorities who immigrate abroad lead an easy and comfortable life are not right.”
Regarding the matter that minorities, especially Christians (who are the largest minority by far) did not play a part in the creation of Pakistan is entirely uncalled for. As Munir-ul-Anjum in his research paper entitled as “The Role of Christians in the Freedom Movement of Pakistan: An Appraisal” comments that “The Christians vote before Boundary Commission was the only decisive vote for the true foundation of Pakistan.” This clearly shows that Christians and other minorities chose to remain in Pakistan because they believed in Jinnah’s Pakistan. If they didn’t believe in Jinnah’s Pakistan, the minorities would have migrated. Also Jinnah claimed that “You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed—that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”
The problem remains, minority heroes are not considered national heroes. Unfortunately, I have come across only those national heroes who are Muslims. Regarding Bhagat Singh, only Sikh community remembers him as a martyr and a hero, or a few Muslims. Advocate Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi is an exception who has recently filed a case in Lahore court, and he is determined to prove that Bhagat Singh was innocent in the Saunder’s case (the case for which he was sentenced).
However, one person’s efforts cannot improve this situation where minority heroes are neglected and are not celebrated as Muslim heroes are. A probable solution to this problem may be that histories of minorities should also be included in the curriculum. This is how the majority will come to know about the importance and contribution of the minorities to Pakistan. Also, they should be given coverage on social media and media on their birth or death anniversaries. In this way, this chasm between the majority and minorities may be lessened.
*The name Michelle Bhatti is not the real name of the interviewee. This name has been chosen to protect her identity.
