Communal tensions in Sindh

Unfortunately, due to a general atmosphere of distrust, it does not take much to fan the flames of communal hatred in Pakistan. The discovery of a few burnt pages of the Holy Quran near a mosque have led to a difficult and dangerous situation in interior Sindh, which has already claimed a life. A man was arrested in Ghotki district on a charge of having desecrated the Holy Quran after angry protesters staged a five-hour sit-in demanding action. According to locals, the man accused of the crime is a drug addict and mentally unstable. He converted to Islam from Hinduism a few months ago and since then had been living in a mosque. He is now being interrogated over the alleged crime. Meanwhile, two young Hindu men were fired on and severely injured on July 27, as religious parties continued to stage protests against the alleged incident of blasphemy for a second day.

One of the young men, an 18-year-old, died while his friend remains in critical condition. Local law enforcement is scrambling to handle a situation that has deteriorated rapidly in only 48 hours. Protest rallies have been held by activists on both sides and the tension shows no sign of abating despite calls by Hindu and Muslim leaders to practise restraint. It is particularly unfortunate that these divisions are being experienced in interior Sindh where traditionally, interfaith harmony has managed to survive divisive ideologies. For the past several years, Pakistan has been witness to an uptick in faith-based violence, which usually erupts following an allegedly blasphemous incident. This then balloons into violent protests, hateful commentary and a rise in negative attitudes towards minority communities. The pattern has been repeated almost identically in several incidents across the country and it reveals the widely held belief that the law can be set aside and justice sought through vigilante action. It is hoped that the situation in Ghotki will abate quickly and without further bloodshed and that justice will be done for the victims of violence regardless of external pressures.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2016.

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