MELBOURNE: Brazen attacks on Sufi shrines in Sindh reflect a very dangerous trend in the land of the Sufis. Some disturbing developments in the past year or so, like Hindu migration, forced conversion of Hindu girls, plus this fresh wave of attacks on shrines, must have worried forces of the Left. Sindh, since the days of the Bazm-e-Sufia-e-Sindh, founded by GM Syed, has been a citadel of tolerant, Sufi-inspired attitudes and behaviours against the establishment’s ideological onslaught. The intellectually deficient leadership of the Muslim League, after the demise of the Quaid-e-Azam, sided with those who had openly opposed the formation of Pakistan, leaving little choice for Left-leaning forces but to hit back. Formation of the Bazm-e-Sufia-e-Sindh was one such endeavour.
The ultimate purpose was to preserve the delicate diversity of Sindhi society, which had evolved through a process of interaction between Muslim mystics and local rituals of Hindu faith. The strong bond of the Sindhi language has kept the diverse population, in terms of religion and ethnic backgrounds, united and served as a cultural chain. The right wing establishment revised its strategy and entered the province in the 1980s through religious seminaries with riots against the Ahmadi community in the province being an early manifestation of the state’s policy of imposing its so-called policy of Islamisation. Institutional radicalisation, through religious seminaries across the country, is the most effective tool that has been used by extremist forces since the days of the Afghan Jihad. This strategy has helped indoctrinate entire generations and also facilitates militants in implementing their agenda by force.
Petty interests of corrupt politicians, who are present in the ranks of all major political parties, is driving them ever closer to these forces of insanity, everywhere in Pakistan, including Sindh. The so-called harbingers of secularism are now shaking hands openly and in some places, cutting underhand deals with anarchists, just to retain their seats in the next parliament. This state of affairs is the greatest challenge to the forces of the Left, as the entire socioeconomic balance of the province is at stake.
Malik Atif Mahmood Majoka
Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2013.
