Bullies rule

This letter refers to the editorial ‘Life in a circus’ (Jan 24, 2020). The protest by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan against the release of the film ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ has gained lot of media coverage, raising questions about the authority exercised by the religious group, given that the central and provincial censor boards had already certified the film fit for public viewing.

The PTI government is eager to attract and earn foreign exchange through international tourists who are encouraged to visit religious sites in Pakistan, which we have in abundance. A historic Hindu temple in Peshawar named Panj Tirath was renovated by the provincial government and all encroachments removed to make it presentable to both the local Hindu community and foreign tourists. The renovated temple was to be officially inaugurated this week but all of a sudden the function was postponed. The reason: some local residents, including a nearby religious seminary, expressed their reservations about the temple. If the government has to cave in to the idiosyncrasies of minor groups of religious bigots, what does this do to our global standing?

G B Shah Bokhari

Peshawar