[[[ The article mainly appeared in Afghanistan Times and has been reproduced here and the main epaper can be accessed at the following link: The temple attack report- pdf
Since last week the Sindhi Hindus are burning under the blames and flames of the notorious Blasphemy Law of Pakistan which has been the tool of the state sponsored fanatical elements to hunt down the minorities in Pakistan. Situation is densely tense in Larkana city of Sindh where a Hindu temple and a Hindu Dharmashala (shrine and inn for pilgrims) have been burnt down by the radical Islamic fanatics.
Earlier this week the local fanatics’ mob led by the local Mullahs attacked a Hindu temple and a shrine and burnt it under the excuse of blasphemy. The initial rumors suggested that a Hindu girl discarded a copy of Quran and allegedly that provoked the mob to attack the temple and shrine. However later a different version suggested that a man discarded a copy of Quran which provoked the mob. It is quite confusing which of the two stories is real or are they equally false!
A few months back a similar story came out and that time a Sindhi Hindu boy was blamed by a local fanatic to have discarded a copy of the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib. None could understand why would any Hindu burn Sikh scripture when everyone knows the relations between Hindu-Sikhs historically and till now in Pakistan? It later came out that there was a love-triangle between that Hindu boy and a Sikh girl and the said fanatic who put the blame. The plot was clear when it was revealed that the fanatic lost the love-game.
The main report as it appeared in AT
In the present case the second hypothetical accused as a mentally unstable and drug addict and thus an easy target to be blamed. The local Panchayet leader Mrs. Kalpana Devi said that Hindus respect all religions and if that man is really guilty, then he deserves punishment but he must not be victimized because of his ease to be victimized.
However persecution went along and the event wire-ups suggest a prior planning to use the rumors to hunt down key political figures. After Larkana incident was over, Hindu shops were plundered, houses vandalized, temples burnt and people battered, the flames reached directly to Badin area. There three Hindus were accused of blasphemy because they allegedly put colors on roads in Holi festival and wrote sacred names. Every year the Hindus are threatened during Holi festival and last year in Karachi University there was a clash between Sindhi nationalists and Islamists on the issue of celebrating Holi. This time thousands of fanatic mobs surrounded the Hindu colonies in Badin armed with sharp and lethal weapons. Acid attacks and petrol bomb attacks were reported on the Hindu colonies. It was the Sindhi nationalists which pledged to protect the Hindus because of which the Hindus survived the mob attack, the police were called in and controlled the situation.
The various nationalist organizations like Jeay Sindh Qaumy Mahaz (JSQM), Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) etc along with other nationalist Sindhi organizations pledged up to stand with the Hindus. The JSQM chairman Sunan Khan Quraishi met with Kalpana Devi and took notice of the incident and assured her of safety measures to be taken to safeguard the Hindus right there. It is noteworthy that the Sindhi organizations are not religiously fanatic but they are nationalists centered on the Sindhi identity and their icon is Maharaja Daher Sain.
In an email communication a potential JSQM operative Zeeshan told me that the JSQM operatives were given strict commands to safeguard the houses, shops and other commercial installments of the Hindu community. The JSMM has also taken similar steps and its general secretary Sajjad Shar went to a Radhe-Krishna temple as a symbol of solidarity and worshipped the deity and offered “Aarti”. As a matter of fact according to Hindu scriptures Sindh was the royal court of Lord Krishna also known as Mohan and historically Sindh was known as Mohan-jo-Daro (Mohan ka Darbar or Court of Mohan/Krishna in Sindhi language).
The three people against whom the allegations were brought is surprising, shows that they are targeted. One of them is Versi Kolhi, a social activist and in fact a political leader who contested last MPA elections. Other two belong to Meghwar tribe, a noticeable Sindhi tribe which along with Kolhi-Bheel tribes is the most persecuted Hindu tribe in Pakistan. The two Meghwar men named Naresh and Ashok Meghwar were also attached to social activism. Under the political and fanatical pressure the police arrested the two persons under the Blasphemy Law 295-A PPC.
Temple burnt in Pakistan
On the other hand the crackdown against the Sindhi nationalists also went on in full swing and a dedicated political activist of JSQM, Nawaz Lashari was brutally killed by the forces of SSP Ameen Pathan. The local leaders and human rights activists are outraged at this fake encounter under the SSP Ameen Pathan and questioned what was their pretext to encounter a harmless and unarmed political activist? Pakistan is setting a high rank in negotiating with armed-to-teeth ferocious terrorists and encountering unarmed political activists.
The blasphemy law is a highly controversial law and many HR activists have demanded a complete omission of this law since it is used to abuse the minorities. Because of this blasphemy law several minority political leaders are murdered for having critical opinion on this law. In fact a cabinet minister was also murdered by his own bodyguard because he sided with a Christian girl who was victim of this notorious blasphemy law. The blasphemy law is also completely biased. A blasphemy law is supposed to be implemented to safeguard the honor of every religion but it is used to bash all other religions except Islam. In this episode it could be seen that the three Hindu youth have been arrested because of putting colors of Holi on road, Holi is banned in radical Islam. Under the allegations of so called blasphemy the fanatical elements burnt down a whole temple, a place of worship but the blasphemy law doesn’t apply against those rioters who burnt the temple, because it wasn’t an Islamic religious place.
However Hindus of Pakistan remain the abandoned orphans and they share no voice for their justice at international forums. Mostly the international experts look for India to highlight their plight but surprisingly the majority of the Indian politicians are mum on this issue. Even the home minister of India, Mr. Shinde surprised the people by siding Pakistan and asking proofs that Hindus are persecuted in Pakistan.
They reason being that if the people like Shinde accept the truths a big chunk of Indian voters who play a decisive role in manipulating the electoral future of India, will deny them votes and thus to appease that section of vote these Indian ministers backstab the justice. One can only hope that the Pakistani Hindus will stand up for their rights to the world and they don’t have to need to beg to any country to voice on their behalf, be it India or America which for their own reasons suppress their voices.
by Aamna Shahwani
The authoress is a Baloch political analyst and human rights activist and by profession she is a Cryptographer.
[[[ The article mainly appeared in Afghanistan Times and has been reproduced here and the main epaper can be accessed at the following link: The temple attack report- pdf
