We were ‘them’ 65 years ago
Najma Saleemi, a PPP member, asked the house to adopt a resolution urging Pakistan Air Force to name a base after Cecil Chaudhry, the late war hero. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah read out a reply on behalf on the air force, saying that the suggestion will be considered “in due course of time.” At best the answer is a non-committal sentence right out of a bureaucrat’s book and at worst a polite way of saying ‘no’.
Though the House approved the resolution without any opposition, the treasury members opted for silence.
It is widely believed that Chaudhry, who was decorated in the 1965 and 1971 wars for his courage, was retired quietly because of his faith. The conservative military establishment could not consider a Christian commanding the air force. Otherwise, a decorated war hero was certain to make it to the position of air chief.
Squadron Leader Anwar Shamim who led the 1965 Amritsar mission to destroy the radar station (that brought a Sitara-i-Jurat for the then Flight Lieutenant Cecil Chaudhry) made it to the top. However, Shamim’s name was later tainted for allegedly accepting kickbacks in an F-16 deal with the US.
Cecil’s patriotism did not wane until his death. After his retirement from the air force, he fought for the rights of minorities and served as an educationist. It’s a shame that it took a resolution from a minority member to remind us that Chaudhry has not been appropriately recognised. It should have been done already.
We frequently see the names of captains and majors who laid down their lives for the country inscribed at crossings. We also see fighter planes installed at road crossings to remind us of the blows to the Indian Air Force in 1965 war but we don’t see the name of the hero who flew one of those Sabres.
The life for minorities is hard as it is. Limited economic and political opportunities and the fear of persecution at the hands of extremists define their lives.
And now we don’t want to acknowledge the heroes among them. Have we forgotten that Muslims were a minority when they raised the slogan of a separate nation in the name of their religious identity? The minorities in Pakistan are now facing exactly the same circumstances as the Muslims in India did 65 years ago.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2012.
COMMENTS (15)
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The author's cause for concern for the minorities should be commended. All other comparisons between India and Pakistan seems needless.The blashphemy law should be repealed with immediate eefect because it was promulated by a dictator, Zia ul haq. Thank you.
"The minorities in Pakistan are now facing exactly the same circumstances as the Muslims in India did 65 years ago." That's a lie. At 30% of the population of British India, Muslims were very well representated p[olitically , both in Congress and Muslim League.
@gp65 present Indian Air Force chief Air Chf Mshl NAK Browne is a Christian.he succeeded Homi Fali Major, a Parsi.not to forget Aspy Engineer,Dilbagfh Singh,Arjan Singh,Denis Anthony La Fontaine and IM Latif all non Hindus who all commanded worlds fourth largest Air-Force.this is possible only in largest democracy of the world.
@gp65: If I may add to your list the name of Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif who commanded Indian Air Force from 1978 to 1981. I grew up in India and never ever experienced any discrimination because of faith.
It is an absolute lie when the writer says that "The minorities in Pakistan are now facing exactly the same circumstances as the Muslims in India did 65 years ago.". Muslims in India before partition never faced systematic discrimination at the hands of the state. Nor did the government collude with all shades of terrorists to hound them into oblivion. Neither were their men and women folk in perennial danger of getting kidnapped by the majority. It is extremely surprising as to how such blatant disregard for the truth is on display out here.
@someone
Your level of ignorance is mind boggling.
@someone: Shame on you. It is thinking like yours that has led Pakistan into the quicksand it finds itself in today. I 100% endorse @Abbas' comments on your post.
@The author The minorities in Pakistan are now facing exactly the same circumstances as the Muslims in India did 65 years ago. You were all fine until you mentioned this in the last sentence. Look at Indian demography now and say that the perception that was cultivated in a Pakistani mind ( and not in the mind of an Indian Muslim ) was right.... It was wrong!!!!! If you wished to mean that the state of minorities in Pakistan is such that they are forced to demand for a separate state for themselves, you were possible right. But if you mean to say that the state of Muslims in India at the time of independence was much worse than Hindus, you are either ill informed or you are plainly staying away from the truth. Some Muslims made a separate country for themselves in 1947 called Pakistan because they 'feared' that Hindus will not allow them to grow. They have been proved to be wrong 'SPECTACULARLY' by the Indian democracy........
India had a Muslim airforce chief!@someone:
@someone: India has a non-Hindu COAS right now. HE is SIkh. India also had a Muslim chief of Navy who went on to become Governor Of Maharashtra - one of the richest Indian states. Also India has had Muslim PResident 3 times , CJ 2 times and current CEC is also Muslim. Current CJ of India is also not a Hindu - he is a Parsi.
India is the country you should compare yourself to since that is what the article is talking about.
@someone: Shame is a word that only few deserve!! What do you know that makes you write about such examples? USA and UK and many nations have muslims in key positions. Insane levels of thinking have dominated at every level in Pakistani society. Kalam was a president of India. Do not forget that islamic culture itself came from middleeast to Asia.
"Have we forgotten that Muslims were a minority when they raised the slogan of a separate nation in the name of their religious identity? The minorities in Pakistan are now facing exactly the same circumstances as the Muslims in India did 65 years ago."
Not true. There never was and still isn't any move in India to deny people of minority faith their rights. At that time it was just irrational fear on the part of Muslim Leaguers. The current treatment of minorities in Pakistan is a matter of record and not just an irrational fear. Yet the religious minorities in Pakistan are not raising slogan for independence.
Just fyi - currently India has a Prime Minister, Vice President, Army Chief, CJ of Supreme court, defense minister (and no. 2 in the cabinet) and Chief Election Commissioner who are not Hindu.
To summarize, neither is there any comparison between India and Pakistan when it comes to treatment of minorities nor is there any similarity in the response of Muslim minorities and other minorities to their majority community.
It is Mr. Pervez Rafique MPA and not Najmi Saleem who brought this resolution in the Punjab Assembly. Mr. Rafique is the Chairman of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance(APMA Founders), the longest time associate and the most trusted follower of Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti (Martyred). Not only that Mr. Rafique brought this resolution but he also said that after Mother Teresa of Kolkata, Cecil Chaudhry was the only personality in Pakistan who was non controversial. Mr. Pervez Rafique is today the strongest hope of Pakistani Christians and religious minorities of Pakistan in the struggle for equal rights. Ijaz
First tell me if USA, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, Newzealand, Italy, Spain and others have any Muslim who is their top armed forces chief. For about armed forces, do these so called 'champions of equality' countries have any muslim as their top boss in any top company? Only then point a finger at Pakistan.
In the uni-dimensional world that you live in - cecil chaudhry will always be a christian first, then an army man and perhaps then a pakistani.
Muslims I believe enjoy and are comfortable feeling persecuted - therefore the surge of sympathy for burmese musliims - but any concession from them...and they will cite verses of the holy book on how giving and generous the prophet was in his lifetime. Not enough.