Connecting people

First things first: on behalf of Pakistani minorities, I would like to congratulate Kamal Nath Sharma, a Hindu cadet who, due to his hard work, dedication and talent, recently completed his military training course at Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul.

His joining the Pakistan Army is an undeniable fact that the doors of our brave armed forces are opened to every Pakistani citizen without any bias or discrimination. I remember that 18 years ago, the recruitment of the first Pakistani Hindu soldier, Danish from Tharparkar, in the Pakistan Army also made headlines in national and international media.

Another important news we received over the past few days came from across the border, a story that has strengthened my faith in serving humanity. According to media reports, Ayesha Rashid, a Pakistani teen from Karachi, received a new lease on life, courtesy of an Indian heart, when she travelled to India to get a heart transplant.

The total cost of the procedure was around Rs10 million, but Indian doctors, civil society and philanthropists arranged the money required. This heartwarming display of humanity proves that the passion to serve humanity does not depend on borders and that alleviating people’s suffering is a universal virtue.

Undoubtedly, Pakistan and India are two unique countries on the world map that not only share a common history of thousands of years but their present and future are also connected. The citizens of both countries have spent many centuries together with mutual kindness, respect and honour.

The Pakistan movement under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam was the most peaceful and successful freedom movement in history. Many non-Muslim leaders, including Jogandranath Mandal, wholeheartedly believed that a Muslim-majority country should play an important role in providing people living in Pakistan with equal opportunities, without discrimination, for progress and development.

The inclusion of the minority youth in the Pakistan Army reinforces my stance that Pakistan is the motherland (dharti mata) in the eyes of the patriotic Hindu minority community of Pakistan, and they are always ready to offer all kinds of sacrifices. On the political front, this credit goes to the PPP under whose government in 2008, a five per cent job quota was allocated for the employment of non-Muslim minority communities in federal and provincial institutions.

On June 19, 2014, then chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, after hearing my arguments before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, ordered to ensure a job quota for non-Muslim minorities in his historic decision for the protection of minority rights.

It has also been my observation that the people of Pakistan and India are peace-loving, and they do not want a relationship based on bitterness, hatred or any negative attitude. Under the premiership of Narendra Modi, India has definitely transformed into a prominent global economic power, but the efforts to undermine the foundations of secular India have not been accepted by ordinary Indians.

Currently, a visible decline in voter turnout in the ongoing Indian elections (April-June) reflects the Indian public’s disinterest in Modi’s extremist politics. According to analysts, the election result may shatter the BJP’s dream of securing 400 seats in parliament.

Today, in the 21st century, the people of Pakistan and India are very conscious. They are fed up with hate politics and border tensions and want bilateral cooperation in healthcare, technology, trade, tourism and other fields. They want to see religious harmony and mutual respect on both sides of the border.

These people want to follow the model of the European Union (EU) to transform the entire region into a hub of tolerance, diversity and cultural harmony so that extremist elements in both countries fail to cultivate hatred and bitterness to fulfil their nefarious goals.

Let’s hope that from now on there will not be any need to promote Pakistan-bashing and targeting minority Muslims to win elections in India. Following the footsteps of the Pakistan Army, all our national institutions should provide opportunities to patriotic minorities to play their proactive role under the vision of Quaid-e-Azam and the constitution of Pakistan.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

He tweets/posts @RVankwani