Honouring heroes

The original decision to rename Fawwara Chowk after Bhagat Singh has now been put on hold for an indefinite period.

The original decision to rename Fawwara Chowk in Shadman, Lahore, after the Indian independence fighter Bhagat Singh was such a surprising and wise one that there was no way it was going to go through without resistance. And so it has proved, with disapproval being voiced at a public meeting at the thought of renaming sites after non-Muslims. The name change has now been put on hold for an indefinite period and, if the timidity shown by city officials is any guide, it will be shelved forever. This travesty shows not only our intolerance for religious minorities but also how blinkered and limited our knowledge of our own history is.

The struggle to create Pakistan was a two-pronged affair. Instead of viewing the movement solely through the lens of the Muslim League, we need to study and honour all those who sought to free us from colonial invaders. Certainly, without Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan would never have been created but without people like Bhagat Singh, Jinnah would never have had the opportunity to pressure the British. Singh was a man who was far ahead of his time, agitating for complete freedom from colonial rule at a time when the Indian National Congress was seeking incremental reforms. He was among the few who moved local politics in the direction of independence and for that, we should be thankful to this revolutionary, not bickering over his religious identity.

Our history did not begin and end with the formation of the Muslim League or even the invasion by Muhammad Bin Qasim. Lahore’s heritage is primarily shaped by non-Muslims and the city needs to recognise this simple and indisputable fact. Instead, we continue to name the country’s main cricket stadium after a disgraced, dead dictator who had the most tenuous of connections to Pakistan. Simply being a Muslim was enough for Muammar Gaddafi to be honoured in Lahore but someone with a deep connection to the city, who fought for its emancipation, will still be ignored.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2012.