In spirit of brotherhood, Hindus host iftar party

KARACHI:

On Saturday, the atmosphere at sufi saint Sandho Wali's shrine, located 30 kilometres away from Matli in Badin district, was different. The air brimmed with enthusiasm, excitement and anticipation.

Outside the shrine, preparations were under way for a large feast. An iftar party was being organised- by the Hindu residents of the area. The guests were around 150 Muslims from 22 villages situated in the shrine's surroundings.

It was a rare occurrence, may be even a first of its kind in the area- at least for former union council chairperson Abdul Haq Halepoto. He couldn't remember an iftar party ever being organised by Hindus in the area before.

"And the act will have a very positive impact in an environment that is dominated by hatred these days," he said. "Such events bring together people of different faiths."

While the act may be the first of its kind in the area, the sentiment of brother and harmony behind the act was not. And it made Halepoto nostalgic.

"Our ancestors lived side by side, sharing happiness and sorrow, for centuries," he said.

It seemed that Halepoto, and numerous other in the area, would be able to live the good old times again.

Fears and a surprise

However, not everyone was as optimistic and was pleasantly surprised when Muslims responded positively to the invitation for the iftar. Among them was Mukesh Meghwar, the main organiser of the iftar.

"My friends were unsure whether local Muslims would come for the iftar. We were surprised to see them coming in large numbers without any hesitation," he told The Express Tribune.

According to Meghwar, Hindus comprise almost 40 per cent of the area's population and most of them work as farmers for Muslim landlords.

"People [Muslims] used to keep a distance from us," he said, explaining the reason behind his friends' hesitation. "But all had not been the same. There have been exceptions."

And so, the fear of Muslims not attending the iftar was not enough to keep him and his friends from organising the feast.

"Some of our Muslim friends have been making arrangements for Holi celebrations and other Hindu festivals since 2015. Now it was our turn to return the gesture," he said. "People's attitude towards us is slowly changing and it is a positive sign."

He and his friends now plan to continue the practice of arranging iftar in the coming years.

"We want to live in our old Pakistan, where there was no hatred between Muslims and Hindus," he said.

Hope for a better tomorrow

According to Halepoto, this sentiment of unity, love and inter-faith harmony is widely prevalent among the area's youth.

"Our youth understands what's good for them and what's good for society," he said with optimism, adding that the majority of Hindus and Muslims in the area had always been respectful towards each other and it was just few notorious elements that had been involved in hateful practices.

But things are changing and Halepoto and numerous others are hopeful of a better tomorrow.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2021.