India’s secularism a mere farce, says former ambassador

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  • Dr Junaid says India emerged as apartheid state dominated by Hindu fundamentalists

ISLAMABAD: Former ambassador Riaz Hussain Khokhar said Wednesday that India’s secularism was a fraud and its democracy was limping as it was a very communalised and stratified society.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of a book written by known academician Dr Junaid Ahmad, titled “India an Apartheid State”, Khokhar said that India was using an approach of subversion towards its neighbours.

He further said that India devised a plan to dismember Pakistan in 1970 and also interfered in internal matters of its neighbours. “We need to know our adversary and got to watch every step of India,” he said, adding Hindutva, as a political movement, was an effort to reshape India.

The Readers Club launched Dr Junaid’s book “India an Apartheid State” at an event here where the book was critically reviewed and discussed by seasoned diplomats like Riaz Hussain Khokhar, Abdul Basit and well-known security analyst Ikram Sehgal.

The main theme of the book was that India claimed itself to be a secular country but practically it was a Hindu state with a caste system which basically promoted inequality and apartheid. The critics appreciated the fact that the book was conclusive and based on well-documented facts and references.

Talking about his book, Dr Junaid said that India had emerged as an apartheid state totally dominated by the Hindu fundamentalists.

He went on to say that his book was the tip of the iceberg and a detailed study was needed to expose Hindutva, an ideology seeking to establish the hegemony of Hindus. He added that there had been thousands of bloody riots in India since its establishment in 1947 where Hindus committed atrocities against Dalits, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, spread over decades.

He predicted that the ongoing insurgencies in numerous states of India will eventually implode the country from within.

Shedding light on different perspectives on the state of India, former ambassador Abdul Basit said that India undoubtedly was stratified but the element of apartheid was a cultural issue, adding that the Indian constitution at least protected the rights of minorities.

He, however, agreed that India’s claims of a secular state did not match what was actually happening to the minorities.

On the occasion, a short video was also shown to expose how Hindus were mistreating minorities in India, where the society was built on a decaying caste system.

In the video, BR Ambedkar, author of India’s constitution, was quoted as saying, “If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt be the greatest calamity for this country. No matter what the Hindus say, Hinduism is a menace to liberty, equality and fraternity. It is incompatible with democracy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost.”

Readers Club President Sabuha Khan, through a video link, shed light on different themes touched in the book.