1. The Constitution of Pakistan forbids its citizens from taking part in the religious occasions of others.

2.19 per cent of children, mainly girls, remain out of schools.

3. Single National Curriculum promotes intolerance and religious extremism.

4. Clerics are authorised to censor educational content.

5. Recitation of the Quran was mandated during school assembly.

Dr. Willy Fautré, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), a non-governmental organisation in special status with ECOSOC, criticised the national education policy of Pakistan and pointed out its flaws, which resulted in intolerance, religious extremism and creating an atmosphere of hatred against other religions.

In a written statement submitted to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, and read out at a side event, the organisation also pointed out the provisions of the Pakistan’s Constitution and its much-disputed Single National Curriculum launched in 2021 responsible for religious intolerance and religious extremism as government schools are not secular and inclusive. The side event was held on 26 March, room 25 Palaise the Nations. Titled Human Rights in Pakistan:  Education under siege, ideology, intolerance, and the erosion of Human Rights in Pakistan, its organisers were major NGOs like CAP and HRWF.

The statement by The Coordination des Association et des Particuliers pour la Liberte de Conscience, says:

“Constitution of Pakistan states in Article 22 that ‘No person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive instruction, or take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religious worship, if such instruction, ceremony, or worship relates to a religion other than its own.’

Therefore, Article 22 of the Constitution of Pakistan promotes non-respect of religions among the students. Human rights organisations have criticised this policy.

Citing the statistics of the Pakistan Institution of Education, the organisation said that 73 per cent of educational institutions in Pakistan are government schools, while 14 per cent are religious schools or madrasas. Such a large number of madrasas presenting an exclusivist interpretation of Islam and non-respect for other religions have contributed to an atmosphere of religious extremism and intolerance in the country.

The organisation also points out the flaws in the SNC launched by the Pakistan government. It says:

“In August 2021, the Pakistan government launched the much-disputed Single National Curriculum (SNC) for government schools, claiming that this initiative would reduce educational disparities. However, the human rights defenders criticised the SNC for its lack of inclusivity and its over-emphasis on Islamic religious content at the expense of religious minorities. In fact, school curricula and textbooks promote intolerance towards minorities and depict women in a way that is non-inclusive and is not compatible with international human rights standards.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed deep concerns about the government perpetuating a singular view of religion in educational institutions through SN, depriving young students of the right to a secular education.”

The Coordination des Association et des Particuliers pour la Liberte se Conscience feels that the SNC is an attempt to Islamise the entire Pakistani society, putting the religious minorities in jeopardy. It says:

“The SNC has also been criticised as an Islamisation program under which all facets of Pakistan’s core educational curriculum were infused with religious content, aligning with the ideological bent of the existing Sunni Muslim orthodoxy. (Source: Wasim Hameed, “Minorities in Single National Curriculum”. 4, The Nation, 9 July 2021.)

According to a 73-page Report of the Salluv ECPM Foundation 5, “Pakistan, Education System, Curriculum and EU Funding” financed by the European Parliament and published in 2024, “a study by The Current revealed that Muslim religious ideas or texts were present in 7.7 per cent of the SNC’s mathematics, social studies, science, general knowledge, English, and Urdu books. Additionally, 7.47 per cent of books have references to Islam, while 0.27 per cent mention other religions in all non-religious books.”

The organisation also pointed out an act of the Punjab Assembly passed in 2022, which authorised the clerics to censor educational content and its resolution mandating the recitation of the Quran during the school assembly. Such acts and resolutions were not compatible with international human rights standards.

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution VS Creationism

One major drawback of Pakistan’s education system is that it is influenced by conservative clerics who lack a scientific spirit and therefore oppose scientific theories and ideas. For example, clerics have opposed the teaching of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution in Pakistan because they think that the theory is against Islamic law. In October 2023, clerics of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forced a college professor named Sher Ali to publicly renounce teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

Earlier in May 2022, his car was attacked with a magnetic bomb, leaving him in his wheelchair for months. The professor was also made to make the statement that “According to Shariah, the woman’s intelligence is inferior to that of a man. I consider this the final word on this issue and believe that women should be covered from head to toe while venturing out. Women can only go out if it is needed or necessary”.

The organisation, therefore, feels that the education system of Pakistan not only promotes hatred against minorities but also is a hindrance in the development of scientific temperament among the students.

Controversial and Inequitable Image and Girls in the Curriculum of Public Schools

The organisation also found that the SNC textbooks are full of content that presents women as inferior to men as approximately 60 per cent of SNC books included images of males, whereas females accounted for only 39 per cent.

Moreover, portrayal of female characters is one-dimensional in terms of their appearances, character traits and hobbies. They are mostly portrayed as wearing hijab or headscarf, while most men are depicted wearing western attire, with only 20 percent wearing traditional Islamic clothing. With regard to occupations, male textbook characters are often portrayed as doctors, lawyers and soldiers, while female textbook characters are mostly portrayed as domestic help, housewives or caregivers.

The European Union Funding in the Dock: Misuse of Taxpayers ‘ money of the 27 EU member states

The NGO further says that the EU funds for Pakistan’s education projects have been misused. According to the 2024 Report of Sallux/ ECPM “Pakistan, Education System, Curriculum and EU Funding”, the EU directly invested 94 million euros in education projects in Pakistan between 2016-2024.

The report contains over 40 pages of excerpts and pictures from textbooks showing that the views expressed in the official curriculum in Pakistan are not compatible with EU values as expressed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Such an amount of concrete evidence cannot be ignored.

The NGO, therefore, draws the conclusion that beyond the incompatibility of the SNC and the UN standards, the pressure of many extremist clerics and fanaticized crowds can easily kill any reform attempt as long as perpetrators of intellectual terrorism, violence and hate crimes remain unpunished and can continue terrorising 2.1 million teachers in Pakistan.

In view of the present scenario of education and its consequent fallout on the human rights situation in the country, the Co-ordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour le Liberte de Conscience has made the following recommendations to the United Nations:

1. The United Nations should urge the authorities of Pakistan to make the SNC compatible with the UN international human rights standards.

2. The UN should effectively protect its 2.1 million teachers against threats and aggression perpetrated by Islamic extremists and prosecute the latter ones.

Article was first published on newageislam.com

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Military intervention

While the threat of Martial Law is looming large, it is being argued that the biggest threat to democracy in Pakistan is its powerful army. This argument seems quite convincing owing to the history of military intervention after brief intervals. However, military intervention is not the disease. It is only a symptom. The problems are much deeper that requires a perceptive understanding of the social structure and milieu of the society in Pakistan.

Absence of land reform

The military in Pakistan, especially the high-ranking officers, represent the landed aristocracy of Pakistan. A major chunk of the political elite also come from the landed aristocracy or real estate barons. Electoral democracy in Pakistan, thus, has been reduced to the competition between political elites of this affluent class thriving on the votes of toiling masses.

The present economic crisis and high prices of essential commodities in Pakistan are also linked to landlordism and hoarding. Pakistan is an agriculture-dependent country. Some appreciable efforts have been made there to redistribute land, but the hurdle came from an unexpected quarter. The federal judiciary reviewed the 1977 legislation imposing the ceiling of the landownership at 100 and 200 acres for irrigated and unirrigated lands, respectively. The Supreme Court Shariat Appellate Bench declared the legislation “against Islam”. The judiciary in a developing society has the additional responsibility of becoming a vehicle of social transformation, welfare and even wealth re-distribution. The concentration of lands in the hands of a few must be a concern of Pakistan’s judiciary. It should have approached the matter with the well-established Islamic principle of Ijtihad. However, the Bench preferred to apply an orthodox and conservative interpretation of faith.

Weak socialist movements

Pakistan has had a history of a strong intellectual base of Socialism/Marxism. But the repression following the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case and thereafter, the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 did not allow this ideology to become a mass movement. The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan sealed the fate of Socialism in Pakistan and led to the spectacular rise of rightist forces resulting in the weakening of progressive voices, for example socialist and feminist movements.

Socialist movements across the globe have played a significant role in ensuring land reforms and championing the causes of the landless labourers, workers, and poor people against landlords and the bourgeoisie. The weakening of the left movements in Pakistan has been a great loss for the country’s people.

Religious extremism

Islam has a normative value in structuring or restructuring society in a country like Pakistan. However, history shows the ruling elite can misuse religion to promote their interests. As Samuel Johnson observed: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Islam has become the last refuge of Pakistan’s political and military elites. They use it effectively for political gains and to undermine democracy.

The emergence of the right-wing poses a major threat to Pakistan’s democracy. Some extremist religious organizations like Hizbut Tahrir seriously believe and preach that democracy is the system of kufr. Therefore, in a society like Pakistan, it is a challenge to provide a normative justification for democracy in the light of the brand of Islam legitimised there. A universal Islamic theory of democracy is conspicuously missing.

Consequently, it is not just Pakistan, but lareg numbers of people in many Muslim countries ho are today reeling under authoritarian regimes.

Imran Khan, a phenomenon

Imran Khan has emerged as the most popular leader in the history of Pakistan. His greatest contribution to Pakistan’s democracy is that he has brought common people, especially the youth, into political spaces and hence deepened the base of democracy.

Undoubtedly, he has been the darling of the masses since his cricketing days. The emergence of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tahreek-e- Insaf (PTI) has brought in a new idioms and grammar of politics in Pakistan. He has successfully challenged the domination of the powerful military and opposed its undue interference in democratic politics. However, Imran Khan has a tough challenge ahead. The euphoria he generated for transforming Pakistan into what he calls the Riyasate Medina may lead to acute disappointment among citizens as realising the ideal State of Medina in Pakistan seems to be an impossibility. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the Imran Khan-led PTI has successfully confronted the army and tried to reclaim the democratic space in Pakistan.

Imran Khan has also tried to liberate Pakistan from the strangulating grip of the USA. He wanted to follow an independent foreign policy. He took some bold decisions, including his visit to Moscow on the eve of the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. This annoyed the United States. The removal of Imran Khan from power is also explained by many as the regime change policy of the United States. The track record of Donald Lu as the master of regime change and his appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, and the unfolding of events in these regions also testify to this argument.

Imran Khan is the first political leader in Pakistan who openly challenged the powerful army and reminded it of its atrocities in 1971. Only a mass leader like Imran could have done it. The popularity of Imran Khan, even after fifteen months of repression, can be understood from the fact that the Shabaz Sharif government is still trying to keep elections in abeyance. However, it is too early to predict the outcome of the standoff between the deeply entrenched army and an emerging mass leader. Imran Khan is today standing on the wrong side of Pakistan’s history.

Neighbouring countries like India should support Imran Khan’s struggle for democracy as dealing with a responsible government in the neighbourhood will be easier than with a military dictatorship. 

(The author is a professor in the Department of Political Science at AMU Aligarh)

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One witnesses a forceful return of religions’ political hold, which corners our diasporas into a mix of ethnic-cultural-religious syncretic identity, and traps us, as if we were under ‘house arrest’, into our presumed religion or culture. In fact, this is an ahistorical fantasy, which denies us any access to freedom of thought and universal rights.

In these dire circumstances, we welcome the translation into French, the publication and the wide distribution of Bhagat Singh’s 1930 pamphlet “Why I am an atheist” as particularly timely.

As feminists, we already faced the identity sledgehammer argument in our countries of origin: “Feminism is Western; you are traitors to your own country, to your culture, to your origins; you have sold out to the West, to capitalism, to Western imperialism” etc…

However, a research undertaken by feminist activists in the ’90s in so-called Muslim countries shows that women, since the inception of Islam, already demanded the right to education, to freedom of movement, to political representation, to financial autonomy, to celibacy or to the right to chose one’s partner after thorough agreements had been designed in order to draft a contract which was satisfactory to both parties, etc…

From that time onwards, women took action to guarantee all these rights (1) We had to fight hard to get back the ownership of our long lived feminist history, by challenging the Sirens’ song of reactionary identity politics – and as well, one must emphasise here, the Sirens’ song of patriarchy happily covering up in the midst of our Left forces, in our countries.

As revolutionaries as well, we had to confront the identity argument: “Marxism is a Western way of thinking, alien to our culture; you are traitors to the nation; sold out to the West, etc…”

And now once more, we must reclaim and own back our revolutionary history, by bringing together the stories and analysis of the many agnostics, atheists and secularists in our countries. For, as Bhagat Singh says, “All religions, faiths, theological philosophies, and religious creeds and all other such institutions in the long run become supporters of the tyrannical and exploiting institutions, men and classes. Rebellion against any king has always been a sin in every religion. “

In order to reclaim our historical right to atheism, to ground ourselves into our long secular tradition, we must today confront on the ground the Hindutva as well as Daesh (ISIS) and many other – intolerant Buddhists, orthodox Jews, Opus Dei, etc… religious extreme-rights, which, when they are in power, claim their gods granted them the right and duty to physically eliminate all the Untermensch. “Divine Repression”, as Bhagat Singh would say… Be it in India, in Bangladesh, in Pakistan, in Algeria, in Nigeria, or … in Paris and Brussels, many lost their lives, including recently, for having claimed this universal right: to live as a freethinker and to mock the official representatives of established creeds.

Let us pay tribute here to the Bangladeshi and Saudi bloggers, to the Indian writers, to the Pakistani activists struggling against the Blasphemy Law, to the French cartoonists, etc … who fought for our freedom.

Clearly, it is an illusion to hope that the West will be spared by the rise of religious extreme-rights and that their sphere of influence will be limited to the African and Asian countries we came from. In Europe and North America, societies are increasingly dividing themselves along the lines of ethnic or religious antagonistic ‘communities’ which want to be ruled by their own religious laws (“Do not say that it is His law!”, exclaims Bhagat Singh) and their own customs. In the process, they get rid of democracy and universal rights, in the name of an ‘identity’ which only keeps from the past the most conservatives elements – especially regarding women’s rights.

Even in France, the very principle of secularism is now under threat – whether because it is gradually abandoned by political forces, formerly on the Left, who made secularism happen, or whether it is sidetracked by political forces, on the extreme-right.

In these troubled times, translating and publishing in the French language this book by Bhagat Singh reminds all those who, right here, deny us our libertarian history – in the name of an identity they believe is necessarily grounded in religion – and who grant a growing political power to religions’ official representatives, that “The morbid alliance between religious preachers and possessors of power” constitutes a mortal danger.

The writer is Algerian sociologist, founder and former international coordinator of the Women Living Under Muslim Laws international solidarity network (wluml.org), founder and present international coordinator of the international network, Secularism Is A Women’s Issue (siawi.org).

This article was published in French by Editions de l’Asymétrie, as a forward to Bhagat Singh’s “Why I am an atheist”. The author has translated it into English.

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As I watched the video of the Pakistani man lynched few days ago, I could not but come to the painful realization that something is rotten in that society. A man, beaten to death, dragged through the streets and then set on fire seems to be a page out of medieval punishment. The horrific images though are from this year; the man being punished in this brutal fashion is accused of blasphemy, a term which can be stretched to include almost anything and everything with some imaginative interpretation. Blasphemy is punishable with death in Pakistan, as it is in many other Muslim countries of the world. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies, a Pakistani think tank, 18 women and 71 men were killed extra-judicially over accusations of blasphemy till last year. A majority of such cases have come from Punjab, where the Barelvis have made blasphemy into a political issue. If anyone is still under the illusion that Barelwis are moderate, they should just see what they are doing in many parts of the world.

Only last week, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had released a report underlining an alarming increase of cases related to blasphemy. Despite similar reports arguing that in most cases, the accusation is the result of personal vendetta, very little has been done in order to raise the bar of evidence regarding blasphemy related cases.

Even if the report’s suggestion is implemented and the bar is raised, it will do little to curb the menace of public lynchings. Ordinary Pakistanis seem to be convinced that if the accused goes through a legal trial, then he or she might be let off. And indeed, this has been the case; many accused of blasphemy have been let off by the courts for lack of evidence. It appears that for the ordinary people of Pakistan, the legal process does not matter at all. An accusation of blasphemy is enough for these people to pounce on the victim and rob him of his dignity, human rights and even his life. Asiya Bibi was lucky that her case went to court and received international attention; eventually she was freed. The Sri Lankan Hindu, Priyantha, was not so fortunate. His own workers killed him and consigned his body to flames.

This case was no different. Muhammad Waris, a man in his thirties, was accused of desecrating the Quran. He was taken into police custody but a murderous mob kidnapped him from there, killed him and set his body on fire. Any analysis which understands this problem as a failure of the Pakistani police to implement the rule of law is simply bogus. This is a clear case of majoritarian will being imposed on state institutions, as it happens in other South Asian countries. We need to understand that even those police personnel who were supposed to protect the victim, are themselves part of the Islamic system. Hence, their action or inaction should be understood in the context of increasing Islamic fanaticism in Pakistan.

The video is extremely gory to say the least. What is most problematic is the participation of local population in this act of religious lynching. It is as if everyone wants to have a share of the piety, each one present there is convinced that killing this man was an act of supreme devotion to Allah. This is a generation which has been fed on a kind of Islamic education which transforms people into unthinking robots. Worse, they were acting like zombies, devoid of a soul, very much like the undead. As if they have been emptied of all their rational faculties and they are just following the orders of someone who is whispering into their heads. One can see even children participating in this religious frenzy. One shudders to think what kind of adults they will become and what kind of citizenry Pakistan is going to eventually get.

Sorry to say, but in the civilized world, this no longer happens. In many ways, medieval Europe was as brutal, but as a collectivity, today they see such things with righteous indignation. What differentiate the Europeans from us is precisely that they have moved beyond religion. Religion is no longer a cradle to the grave arrangement for them. In conducting their daily lives, they have made religion largely redundant and irrelevant. For an average Muslim though, this is far from comprehensible. We are yet to evolve intellectually in order to realize that one can lead perfectly normal live without the aid of any religion.

Also, as a community we are intellectually dishonest because we are still in denial of the effects of giving so much power to Islam over our lives. How else should we understand the claim, after every such brutal incident, that this is not Islam; those indulging in such behavior do not understand the true meaning of this religion. We are being told, almost on a loop, that Islam is about peace and tolerance. This is pure nonsense. And pure hypocrisy. Religions talk of peace but they also talk of violence; Islam is no different. Those burning the body of Muhammad Waris were Muslims and they were doing this they believe that it was the right thing to do according to the precepts of Islam. They burnt his body because it is also part of Muslim belief that by doing so, a person will be condemned to hellfire for all eternity.

There is a long history of killing for blasphemy in the Muslim world and it starts with the prophet of Islam himself. According to narrations within Islamic traditions, Muhammad ordered the killing of some who had disparaged against him. For this reason, he even forgave a Muslim who killed his pregnant slave because she had disrespected the prophet. Islam in many ways is about following the prophet; if Muhammad himself sanctioned these killings, are we in any position to say that this is un-Islamic? It might have been a matter of contention if these records were not part of our tradition. The fact remains that our most hallowed Ulama have recorded these narrations and now they are part of Islamic theology. And that’s why there is consensus that anyone who disparages Islam must be killed.

Islam is therefore fundamentally implicated in any blasphemy related killing. Muslims would do well not to escape this discussion. It is only through an acceptance that this is a problem within our society that we can do something about it. As Muslims, we must declare unanimously that such proclamations do not apply to us any longer.

Arshad Alam is a writer and researcher on Islam and Muslims in South Asia.

First published on NewAgeIslam.com

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Intolerance and hatred towards Ahmadis in Pakistan are nothing new rather, the phenomenon has a history, going back over decades which is also gaining momentum everyday. State silence or complicity especially with regards to religious clerics who spew venom sanctions the hate, and potentiality of violence.

Recently another instance of such an attack against Ahmadiyas was witnessed.  Systematic marginalisation of Ahmadis in all walks of life, because of their religious beliefs is not considered condemnable and Ahmadis are being treated as such a class which has no basic human rights and a recent incident in District Chakwal demonstrates this better reality.

In a speech made recently, Syed Mohammad Sibtian Patron Makazi, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees, Punjab; Founder and Principal of Markaz Imam Bukhari Sargodha went to the inhumane extent of saying if an Ahmadi’s house is on fire, you should pour petrol on it, not water. This egregious and toxic statement risks influencing impressionable youth in an environment already extremely hostile to Ahmadi Muslims who have every basic human right stripped away from them in the country. Their voice is being suffocated as Ahmadi representatives are being de-platformed at events and educational institutions.  

Last year, 2021,  saw a violent and cynical escalation of anti-Ahmadiyya activities with grievous murders, gravestones vandalised and Mosques attacked. Now the new year begins with fresh calls for violence, hatred and inhumane action against Ahmadis, in unrelenting systemic persecution against the peaceful and charitable Ahmadiyya Muslims Community.   

The cleric went on to claim that minority rights apply to Jews, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus but not to Ahmadis. “The rights of the minorities are for the Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and it is not for them. There cannot be any relaxation with Mirzaiat and Qadianiat.”  

He said: “To eat, drink, sit, stand, do business, to be with them in their moment of sadness and moment of happiness, to buy things from their shop, to give them things from your shop, to hire them as salesmen all these things fall under the category of being Haraam.”  

The mullah went on the further dehumanise Ahmadis in a sickening and twisted speech which echoes the worst crimes of ostracisation and ‘othering’ seen in human history.   

“If a Mirzai [deregoatory term for Ahmadis] passes away his funeral should not be offered, if he falls ill he should not be attended, if he is found fallen down on the road he should not be taken to the hospital, if his house catches fire while he is in living in your neighbourhood, and if possible you can pour petrol on it no water.” 

This level of dehumanisation is not only against international human rights but every basic human and moral principle. It reeks of extreme hatred, prejudice and venom. This kind of rhetoric continues in Pakistan with authorities turning a blind eye. Anti-Ahmadiyya laws give license for such degraded sentiment to flourish with impunity.  

The International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) through a statement by Nasim Makil, its general secretary, that also represents Ahmadiyas has urged the international community to pressure the government of Pakistan to afford Ahmadi Muslims the same basic standards of human rights and protection of minorities offered to others and enshrined in international human rights laws.  

On July 13, 2021, UN human rights experts had expressed their deep concern over the lack of attention to the serious human rights violations perpetrated against the Ahmadiyya community around the world and called on the international community to step up efforts in bringing an end to the ongoing persecution of Ahmadis.  

The international community has been urged to pressure the Government of Pakistan to honour its responsibility to provide protection to all its citizens, ensure freedom of religious practice to Ahmadis, and bring perpetrators of inciters of such vicious attacks to justice. The Government of Pakistan must also bring its laws and practices in conformity with international standards as ordained by Article 2, 18 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 25, 26. 

The entire transcript of the hate-filled speech may be read here:

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After continued efforts, Pakistan’s women’s collectives succeeded in ensuring that people get to celebrate the Aurat March on March 8, 2022 in Lahore. While the organisations announced this year’s theme as ‘Asal Insaaf or ‘Reimaginig Justice’, cis-women, transgender persons and non-binary folk rejoiced at refuting administrative efforts to stop the march.

What is the Aurat march?

Conceptualised and realized in 2018, the Aurat March are large public demonstrations organised by Pakistani feminist activists all over the country on International Women’s Day.  On this day, the gender-minorities and the oppressed, stand against patriarchal structures that have traditionally caused sexual, economic and structural exploitation. Funded by individual donations, the organisations do not accept money from political parties, corporations or NGOs.

“It is a gathering of women, khwajasira and transgender people from different walks of life. This year too, our volunteers have worked tirelessly to mobilise women in and around Lahore: Ichra, Shahdara, Begumpura, Harbanspura, Chungi, Qainchi, Mall road, Liberty, Wall City, metro bus stations, churches, factories and educational institutions,” said the Lahore Chapter in a press release.

Proud of its non-violent nature, the Lahore Chapter was shocked when on March 4, the city’s Additional Deputy Commissioner refused permission for the march citing “security threats and possible conflict on the roads”.

Aurat March 2022

Condemning the administration’s attempts to hush the rights march, the Chapter wrote to the Lahore High Court for permission to exercise the right to march. In it, organisers argued that the freedom of assembly and to organise, hold peaceful processions and protests is a fundamental human right that is enshrined in the Pakistan Consitution’s Article 16, 17 and 19.

Regarding the city instruction, organisers said, “We see this as a discriminatory and disproportionate practice originating from fear of enlightened women reclaiming public spaces which are rightfully theirs.”

On March 7, the Islamabad Chapter spoke of similar struggles.

Aurat March Islamabad has filed a writ petition under article 199 in Islamabad High Court today to protect our right to assemble.

We will resist! #MarchToHoga #AuratMarch2022 pic.twitter.com/xAJAv5Athi

— Aurat March Islamabad (@Aurat_marchisb) March 7, 2022

Fortunately for the Lahore Chapter, the Court observed the administration has not stopped them from marching. Moreover, after the disposal of the petition, ADC Dr. Atiya Sultan met with the Chapter personnel and assured them of full security for the march in Lahore. Organisers thanked the “women in public office who pave the way and understand our movement and its importance”.

Reimagining Justice and other demands

This year’s theme is Asal Insaaf or Reimagining Justice to highlight women and gender minorities issues prevalent within the legal system. The march will also focus on how the current system is inadequate for survivors of violence.

“Aurat March Lahore urges thinking about justice and what it means; expanding its possibilities beyond the limited terms of the justice system and laws,” it said in the Charter of Demands 2022. As per the document, the primary demand of the march will be the radical and structural reform of the patriarchal policing and judicial systems, rather than superficial gender representation of women and gender minorities.

Further, organisers stressed the need for more funding of survivor-centric welfare institutions to provide shelter, housing, healthcare, psycho-social services and other measures to survivors of violence. Further, they demanded that the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016 be implemented along with the establishment of crisis centers and adequate funding. They also asked that the government’s Sehat Card cover mental health support and services.

In terms of reformation, people urged that the government do away with the death penalty, chemical castrations and similar punishments as a solution to violence. They reasoned that these do not work as meaningful deterrents. Instead, the system should shift to preventative policies relating to education, community building and social welfare should drive the solutions.

Like India, neighboring Pakistan also has criminal defamation. The rights groups demanded that such laws be immediately decriminalised because “they are a stark reminder of how the criminal justice system is actively anti-survivor.” Members also suggested that the funding of “safe city projects”, costing the public billions of rupees be redirected to survivor-support and welfare programs.

Regarding economic issues, people asked that the government ensure universal basic income and care work income for all. Organisers demanded that unpaid labour of women be valued as equally important as “paid” labour normally performed by men. They also condemned the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-driven measures that resulted in privatisation and unprecedented inflation termed “anti-poor” and benefiting global capitalism.

With regards to transgender rights, the March demands that the government cease attacks on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018 and take proactive action to ensure implementation of the law at the provincial level. They also demanded that the government immediately stop forced conversions.

“We demand that the State go beyond merely criminalising forced conversions, addressing the social, economic and political power structures that allow for these conversions to take place with impunity,” said the Aurat March organisers.

Since the March also acknowledges the dangers of climate change, it asked that the government recognise the displacement and migration caused by the climate crisis as a public emergency and provide housing for all as per Article 38 of the Pakistan constitution. Accordingly, it asked for immediate measures to address Lahore’s deteriorating air quality.

Meanwhile, the International theme for March 8 is ‘Breaking the Bias’. The theme hints for focused effort to address bias rather than passive statements of empowerment. In this respect, the Aurat March has been widely successful in truly breaking the bias and asserting their human right to dissent.

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A poor Bheel farmer and his family were reportedly tortured and held hostage in Rahimyar Khan city, in Pakistan’s Punjab province because they went to get drink water from a mosque. According to news reports, the victim, farmer Alam Ram Bheel alleged that the local police did not register a case as those who attacked him and his family were related to a “Parliamentarian of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party”. The family was reportedly attacked for “violating the sanctity” of the mosque’s place of worship, a media report said on Monday.

According to news reports, Alam Ram Bheel, was picking raw cotton along with his family  and had gone to fetch drinking water from a tap, outside a mosque when they were attacked allegedly by “some local landlords.” Later when the victims were returning home after unloading the cotton they had picked, the landlords attacked again and reportedly “held them hostage at their dera (outhouse)”, the poor farmers were allegedly tortured again for “violating the sanctity” of the mosque, stated news reports. It was a group of Muslim residents of Basti Kahoor Khan later secured the  the Bheel family’s release, stated news reports.

It had also been alleged that the local police did not even register a case as the attackers “were related to a local Parliamentarian of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party”. Alam Ram Bheel sat on a protest outside the police station along with a clan member Peter John Bheel, who is a member of the district peace committee. According to a news report in The Dawn, Peter John Bheel, said that they approached PTI MNA Javed Warriach who then helped them lodge the FIR under sections 506, 154, 379, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code on Friday. The PTI’s south Punjab minority wing secretary general Yodhister Chohan admitted that he knew about the case but had stayed away from it “due to the influence of a ruling party’s MP.” Deputy Commissioner Dr. Khuram Shehzad told the media that he will meet the Hindu community elders before taking any action.

News reports also quoted  senior lawyer Farooq Rind, who hails from the Basti Kahoor area where the Bheels had been living for more than a century, explaining that the community comprised mostly of  poor farm workers and the “accused landlords were notorious for picking up fights with other villagers over petty issues”. The lawyer has reportedly promised free legal aid for Alam Ram Bheel. 

Attacks on minorities are common in Pakistan

The Bheels, or Bhils are a tribal community following animist traditions. In India they are considered Adivasis and designated as a Scheduled Tribe in many states, and are recognised as “one of the largest tribal groups, living in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.” The name, as reported by the website tribal.nic.in, was derived from the word ‘billu’, which means bow and the community is noted for their archery skills, and deep knowledge about nature. Like most tribals they often combine tribal traditions with religious worship. 

In Pakistan Bheels/ Bhils often survive as landless peasants in areas of Sindh, mostly working under powerful landlords. In Pakistan they are often counted as a part of the Hindus community which is the biggest minority community there. According to official estimates, 75 lakh Hindus live in Pakistan, however, according to the community, they number over 90 lakh.  The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. 

According to the news report Deputy Commissioner Dr Khuram Shehzad added that he needed to meet community elders before taking any action, because of the “Bhong temple issue,” they had also received some complaints from the minority community “which proved fake when investigated.”

What happened in Bhong town?

The Dawn had reported that in August this year, a mob of “hundreds” had reportedly vandalised a Hindu temple in Bhong town and blocked the Sukkur-Multan Motorway. This attack had come in the wake of a bail granted to a “a nine-year old Hindu boy, who allegedly urinated in a local seminary,” stated the news report. The Bhong police had registered a case against the boy under section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code on July 24. The Hindu community elders had reportedly apologized to the seminary administration seeking pardon for the child who they said was mentally challenged. Subsequently a court had  granted him bail. This had enraged the mob which in turn reportedly attacked the temple “smashing its glass doors, windows, lights and damaging the ceiling fans”.

Rawalpindi Hindu temple was vandalised in March

In March this year a century old Hindu temple was vandalised in Rawalpindi. The temple was under renovation when a group of unidentified people attacked it. According to a complaint registered by the local police, the media reported that the incident occurred at Purana Qila area of Rawalpindi city on March 27. It was reported that a group of over a dozen people stormed the temple at about 7:30 P.M. The vandals damaged the main door, the staircase, and another door in the upper storey of the temple, stated the police complaint. The Dawn newspaper reported that the security officer of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, Northern Zone, Syed Raza Abbas Zaidi, was the one who lodged an FIR at Banni police station of Rawalpindi. He stated that the construction and renovation work on the temple had been going on for the last one month. The EPTB is a statutory board that manages religious properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India after the Partition.     

Hindu temple, vandalised in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2020

In January 2021, the Supreme court of Pakistan had said that the attack on the Hindu temple, that was vandalised in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in December 2020, had caused ‘international embarrassment’ to the country. It had directed that the authorities must recover the money required for the restoration from those who attacked the temple. The Pakistan SC had also directed the Evacuee Property Trust Board to submit details of all functional and ‘nonfunctional’ temples and gurudwaras across Pakistan.

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The post Pakistan: Bheel family tortured, for fetching drinking water from mosque appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced that it will pay for reconstruction of Hindu temple destroyed by a mob. It has so far arrested 55 suspects too. The Indian government had also expressed its concerns on the targeting of a Hindu temple.  

According to a report in The Telegraph, India’s Ministry of External Affairs had conveyed to Pakistan through its mission in New Delhi, that India “expects the federal government to investigate the matter and take strict action against those responsible for the demolition of the temple, pointing out that this is not the first time such an attack has taken place”. The report quoted MEA sources stating, “Our message reiterated that the government of Pakistan, in discharge of its responsibilities, is expected to look after the safety, security and well-being of its minority communities, including protection of their religious rights and cultural heritage.” 

The Pakistan government seems to have acted fast, and damage control decisions have been put in action in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. However, there seems to be no words of ‘assurance’ from the government, on repeated allegations of the persecution of tribals, Christians, Ahmedias, Shias in Pakistan. No words even on the allegations made in September that “around 171 Hindus in Pakistan’s Sindh province had been converted to Islam”. It was then reported by the Times Of India that men, women and children were inculcated into the Muslim faith at a a mass ceremony “held at madarsa Ahsan-ul-Taleem, Sanghar in Sindh province of Pakistan.”  The news report quoted sources as confirming that all those who were converted to Islam allegedly by “various allurements”, were from Bhil community, one of  the most vulnerable and marginalised among the minority communities of Pakistan. It is noteworthy that Bhils are a tribal community following animist traditions. In India they are considered Adivasis and designated as a Scheduled Tribe in many states. 

Meanwhile, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police have arrested 10 more people in overnight raids for their alleged involvement in the vandalisation of the Hindu temple by a mob led by members of a radical party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, reported NDTV. The total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to 55, and over 350 people have been named in the FIR. 

Pakistan’s Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the vandalism, and its Chief Justice directed a Minority Commission to visit the site and submit a report by January 4.

Pakistan Supreme Court takes suo motu notice of the burning of a Hindu temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak.

Chief Justice have direction to One Man Minority Commission to visit the site and submit a report by January 4.#Pakistan pic.twitter.com/LI2bWogTBt

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) December 31, 2020

While Hindus make up for around two percent percent of the total population of Pakistan, the government is keen to showcase that it is deeply concerned to protect the minority community and will rebuild the destroyed temple using provincial government funds, stated multiple news reports. 

The  incident took place in Terri village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district, on December 30. However, the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), one of Pakistan’s largest Islamist parties, Amir Maulana Ataur Rahman had strongly condemned the incident and said his party had nothing to do with it. According to news reports the mob was allegedly protesting “the expansion work of the temple and demolished the newly constructed work alongside the old structure.” Pakistan’s federal Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights Lal Chand Malhi had also strongly condemned the vandalisation of the temple by “some anti-social elements”, and said such anti-social elements were defaming Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Mahmood Khan termed the attack on the temple as “an unfortunate incident” and  vowed that his government will protect places of worship.

Now the reconstruction will start as soon as possible with security provided at the site. According to a report in the New Indian Express, this temple was destroyed in similar circumstances in 1997 and then rebuilt. While no Hindus live in the area, devotees visit the temple and its shrine to pay homage to the Hindu saint Shri Paramhans, who died there before the 1947 partition of India, stated the report

When the attack on this Hindu temple happened, a couple of days ago, the bigoted right-wing ecosystem in India began using visuals of this, to serve its pro-CAA agenda in India. As always this added to the anti-Muslim sentiments the right wing continusly fuells. However when the Pakistan government announced the rebuilding the Hindutva groups probably see it as a ‘win’ for the community. The Hindutva agenda against Muslims will continue. 

A question has also been raised by former diplomat KC Singh: “when mob destroys/damages mosques in India any nation asking questions violates Indian sovereignty. Can’t have it both ways.”

What kind of unilateralism is this? India questions mob’s destruction of temple in Pakistan. In fact Pakistani authorities promptly arrested culprits. But when mob destroys/damages mosque in India any nation asking questions violates Indian sovereignty. Can’t have it both ways.

— K. C. Singh (@ambkcsingh) January 2, 2021

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan compared how India was treating its own minorities. 

Secular India? Where have we come? pic.twitter.com/plS6acckIV

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) January 1, 2021

Human Rights’ activist, journalist John Dayal called out Pakistan’s move to rebuild one temple, saying the country continued to discriminate against its Hindus, Sikhs, and Dalit Christian citizens. He said, “Christians see their young women abducted and forcibly converted, churches desecrated and vandalised, lands grabbbed, their Muslim defenders persecuted and occasionally assassinated. That is your history of the freedom of religion you give us.”

As reported by SabrangIndia before, Hindus in Pakistan, are a vulnerable minority, often even ignored  by the media, who fail to highlight crimes against the community. Even when reported, they do not come to the fore and catch people’s attention. Hindus comprise 2 percent (around 3 million people) of Pakistan’s population. In 2019, the All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat (APHP) launched a campaign to collect data to ascertain the number of Hindus in Pakistan. Hindus are mainly concentrated in Sindh province where they form nearly 8% of the population. Some  Hindu families in Pakistan reportedly hid their religious identities due to safety concerns too.

Meanwhile, it is not known if Pakistan’s Sindh government has apologised to its Hindu community and offered to rebuild the Hindu temple that was vandalised, and the idol of the Goddess Durga desecrated in Nagarparkar area during Navratri, a few months ago.

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The post Should India applaud Pak’s move to rebuild one Hindu temple demolished by mobs? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The bigoted right wing ecosystem in India has begun using visuals of a communal attack on a Hindu temple, where a massive mob can be seen vandalising the shrine in Pakistan ‘s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa act to reheat and serve its pro-CAA agenda in India. 

CAA क्यों ज़रूरी है जवाब नीचे है ? https://t.co/OwjGdLifk9

— Aman Chopra (@AmanChopra_) December 30, 2020

According to a report in India Today, the incident took place in Terri village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district, on December 30. The situation was brought under control only after a heavy contingent of police reached the scene, stated the news report. However, the JUI-F KP Amir Maulana Ataur Rahman has already said his party has nothing to do with the burning down of the temple as “it happened after the party’s rally”, he also strongly condemned the incident.

It is being stated that the mob was allegedly protesting “the expansion work of the temple and demolished the newly constructed work alongside the old structure.” The IT report added that Pakistan’s federal Parliamentary Secretary for Human Rights Lal Chand Malhi strongly condemned the vandalisation of the temple by “some anti-social elements”. He added that some groups were actively carrying out such anti-social activities to defame Pakistan. He also asked the district administration to file an FIR in the case and take legal action against the culprits.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Mahmood Khan termed the attack on the temple as “an unfortunate incident” reported India Today, adding that “Khan vowed that his government will protect worship places from such incidents.”

The India Today stated that a leader of Hindu Community Peshawar, Haroon Sarab Diyal said that a samadhi of a Hindu religious leader was at the temple, and Hindu families from across the country visited the samadhi every Thursday. He added that the attack “has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community and the Islamic Ideology Council should take note of it,” reminding his government that their “Prime Minister Imran Khan talks about promotion of religious tourism in Pakistan but minority worship places were not safe in his own country.”

Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan, stated the news report, with numbers reaching, over 90 lakh according to the community itself.

As reported by SabrangIndia before, Hindus in Pakistan, are a vulnerable minority, often even ignored  by the media, who fail to highlight crimes against the community. Even when reported, they do not come to the fore and catch people’s attention. Hindus comprise 2 percent (around 3 million people) of Pakistan’s population. In 2019, the All Pakistan Hindu Panchayat (APHP) launched a campaign to collect data to ascertain the number of Hindus in Pakistan. Hindus are mainly concentrated in Sindh province where they form nearly 8% of the population. Some  Hindu families in Pakistan reportedly hid their religious identities due to safety concerns too.

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The post Mob vandalises, sets ablaze Hindu temple in Pakistan appeared first on SabrangIndia.