Nankana Sahib

The alleged ‘attack’ on the Sikh Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib appears to have been mostly resolved. It was not a religious dispute, per se, but a personal one. The ringleader, Imran Chishti, has been arrested and booked for blasphemy, rioting, threatening violence, and terrorism.

It was also heartening to note that just two days after the initial incident, the shrine on Sunday hosted the birthday celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh in the presence of government ministers and religious leaders, all of whom praised Pakistan’s Sikh community.

Despite the quick resolution, the Indian media had a field day playing it up as a communal incident, perhaps to distract from the nationwide protests and police repression across the border. Pakistani authorities denounced the reporting as “patently motivated” attempts to give communal colour to the incident. A spokesperson also noted that the gurdwara remains untouched and undamaged.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also set apart the difference between Pakistan’s response to the incident and the ongoing anti-Muslim campaign in India, pointing out that while the Narendra Modi-led regime backed persecution of minorities, the PTI government had zero-tolerance for it.

The truth is that over the past few years, Pakistan has made great efforts to accommodate Sikhs from around the world in recognition of the fact that many of their most significant religious sites are located within the country’s borders.

Nevertheless, there were some genuine negative takeaways from the episode as well. Among them, is the level of whataboutism on display in the public discourse. The incident was potentially embarrassing for Pakistan, but it appears that it is being resolved the right way. There was no need to tie India to it. We indisputably have our own minority rights issues to deal with and should focus on addressing them, not drawing comparisons.

Even Imran may be accused of this to an extent, but at least he was trying to make a point. But what was his human rights minister doing? Shireen Mazari was tweeting about European burka bans, India’s protests, and Iran-US tensions while ignoring, for the umpteenth time, a human rights issue at home.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.