Minority rule

Ours is probably the only country in the world where a small segment of the population imposes its views on the majority and the latter readily acquiesces to avoid confrontation. The PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was all set to introduce a shirt and trouser as the uniform for boys in government schools but its implementation was stopped due to opposition from the JI. They view this as an invasion of the Western culture.

Similarly, a chapter on Helen Keller was removed from textbooks, again on the advice of the JI. The majority welcomes the anti-polio drive. However, a misled minority has become a stumbling block to this drive. The majority likes to celebrate festive days like Basant, Valentine’s Day, etc but a miniscule number of people want to enforce a total ban on such festivals. To say that democracy prevails in the country is negating the ground reality.

Sayed GB Shah Bokhari

Peshawar