Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. PHOTO: PID
Ajmer Sharif dargah dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan on Friday said that he will not assist Ashraf in offering prayers at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
"It will be a dishonor to the families of the Indian soldiers who were beheaded by Pak army," Khan said.
"I have no idea why he (Pakistan PM) is coming here."
He added that he would be boycotting Ashraf's visit. "I have decided to boycott the visit (to protest) the brutal killing of our Indian solders by the Pakistani army."
Khan said he would also protest Ashraf's trip because of alleged ill-treatment of Hindus in Pakistan.
"There are incidents of atrocities on minorities in Pakistan and we have seen people from the Hindu community migrating to India on account of religious, financial and social persecution in Pakistan," he said.
"I am against that, and to express my feelings, I decided to boycott the visit," Khan said.
Ashraf is scheduled to undertake a private visit to the Sufi shrine on Saturday. He will not visit New Delhi, an official said on Thursday.
Khurshid to host lunch
While President Asif Ali Zardari in his private visit to the shrine last year was hosted by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, no such welcome has been extended for Ashraf. Instead, the external affairs minister Salman Khurshid has extended an invitation for lunch at the Rambag Palace Hotel in Ajmer.
"No substantive talks are scheduled" between the two sides, the external affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said at a news briefing. The external affairs ministry further confirmed that it would facilitate the day-long private visit Ashraf.
Ajmer bar council protests
Ajmer Bar Association President Rajesh Tandon described the visit as "intolerable" and warned that lawyers would symbolically cleanse the road on which the Pakistani leader travelled to mark their protest.
"This is intolerable for an Indian because of the beheading of our soldier at the LoC," Tandon said.
COMMENTS (58)
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@Rakib @Dee Cee
Education, knowledge and wisdom; all three shine throuh your posts. A few more people like you India will remain India as it has been for 1000s of years.
@Dee Cee: Dear sir I appreciate and agree with every word you say. Thanks. VK
@Rakib: Thank you for those powerful words - trolls don't stand a chance.
As a Pakistani I appreciate Ajmer Sharif dargah dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan decision. These people are not getting any respect in pakistan either. Other reason why Indians should have refused accepting these people is they are burden on taxpayers. While many Sufi saint shrines are in pakistan, these illiterate idiots crave for foreign protocol.
@truthbetold: Seeking oneness with god is not part of Islam. In fact, it is blasphemy in Islam.
According to Wikipedia, "Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God". . This is what I conveyed in a few words above.
@Rakib:. Dear sir, A nice and very elaborate understanding of sufi philosophy. Thanks
It is encouraging that India allows Pakistanis on private visits. Once home the PM would naturally reimburse the cost of hiring that PAF giant used for his private visit to Ajmer.
He is not in the habit of abiding by any Suo Motu decisions, it would be left to NAB to see that rightful payment is made as soon as possible.
@Foreign Leg: @truthbetold:
“I know of no greater Islam than the Sufism that is practiced on the subcontinent that seeks oneness with God.” "The idea of mysticism and oneness with god is a Hindu concept" You are correct with your insightful comments though orthodoxy's rejection has more to do with what they narrowly perceive as "grave worship".. The principle you imply applies to the Sufi Chishtiya metaphysics of Wahdatul Wajood, which has striking similarity with Indian Adwaita (non-dualism) & with concept of total surrender of vishishta adwaita (qualified non-dualism) of Vaishnava school of thought. However by the time Jehangir ruled Delhi the Sufi Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi had propounded Wahdatul Shahood, which conforms to traditional religious laws & is roughly an opposite of the earlier thought.The latter in some ways is in keeping with Dwaita (dualism) philosophy. One reason why mysticism, Bhakti & Wajoodi Sufism have attracted many adherents in the subcontinent is the underlying message of love & inclusiveness among all communities.That way of life is under threat.
@Truth: Go to the Forbes list of billionaires and see for yourself about Muslims from India and use a microscope to locate any for Pakistan!
@Farhan Virk: We will wait and see for how long your faith and confidence sustains!!!
@truth"Alleged blasphemy: Mob burns 100 Christian homes in Lahore"
@Truth
Let us cut to the chase, and stop going round and round about this discrimination affair of minorities in our respective countries by going through this simple acid test: Exchange of minority populations of both their countries. And this extends to any minority group from India who feel suffocated and discriminated in India. Also only Sikhs, Christians and Hindus from Pakistan need apply.
I would be very very interested in the outcome of this experiment.
Case closed.
@Rakib: Some questions for you. 1) Since Muslims do not need any assistance while praying, Mr. Khan's statement will not make a difference to Mr. Ashraf - will it ?
2) Did Mr. Khan say that the doors of the Dargah were close to Mr. Ashraf?
3) In what way has Mzr. Khan crossed his limits? Arundhati Roy 's freedom of French is to be celebrated but Mr. Khan should not have that opportunity? Why not?
4) Why does Mr. Khan's solidarity with his compatriots who may not share his religion irk you so much?
@realist:
It is RAW and SAFMA funded newspaper.
@Raj - USA:
Pakistanis should know that muslims may have their problems in India but they all hate Pakistan.
They all hate Pakistan? I don't think even all-Hindus or all-Sikhs hate Pak, why would only Muslims? Indian Muslim (IM) must be a freak who can be expected only to hate totally or love completely; he is not permitted to be indifferent or have various shades of love & hate together. A Hindu can love a Pak cricketer or singer & hate losing to Pak team but an IM has no such luxury of alternating emotions.Everybody is an expert on IM now. And the cornerstone of that expertise is a childish belief that if an IM, may be a cycle-tyre repairer in Kasbah Agaribommanhalli Karnataka, hates Pak he must be loving India. And if he doesn't hate Pak then he must be hating India. To prove one's love for India, a Muslim, more than a Hindu, must demonstratively hate Pakistan. A liberal Hindu can be an unabashed Pak-lover, no issues, but heaven help an IM especially a celebrity who proclaims love for the Neighbour. Poor blighters have to bad-mouth Pakistan out of survivor's cunning rather than conviction. And Indian non-Muslims here waste their time clutching at some such evidence to prove some vague point to Pakistanis who do not care either way anyway..
Khan sahib : Salams
Shah Rukh Khan, learn from the Dewan. Patriotism towards country comes first. (I know this is a Pak website).
@Truth: As i said before nothing of substance can be expected from a low information person. What happened in 1984 was wrong. What happened in amritsar was appropriate. And why do you assume last name singh is automatically a sikh? You are just proving how low information you truly are.
The head of the Shrine need not have to say anything. He could have kept quiet and no one would have said anything to him. He knew it also as no one said anything when Zardari visited. Yet he came out and condemned Pakistan. Pakistanis should know that muslims may have their problems in India but they all hate Pakistan. Musharraf faced the same situation once and was insulted by muslim leaders in India. Many see Zardari as a secular person and not others, even if they belong to his own party.
@Truth:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/517948/wave-of-terror-anti-shia-propaganda-and-threats-emerge-in-lahore/
This is today's headline in ET. This is Pakistan today as it has ever since been. Yet you talk of Gujrat.
Ajmer Sharif dargah dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan on Friday said that he will not assist Ashraf in offering prayers
A Muslim needs nobody to "assist" him in his prayers and doors of a Sufi are always open for all, sinner & saint alike, without any conditions. I would have considered Khan sagacious if he had expressed the hope that beheading should never happen & that in the hallowed precincts of Dargah of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz may Pak-PM get inspired to work towards peace in the subcontinent. As it is, Dewan seems to be just another wily fellow not averse to playing to the gallery. His tune would have been different if Peer Makhdoom Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani was still the PM. Professional courtesies!! In the past Khan has given statements against USA & Israel too. While he has every right to his views he can't involve the Great Khwaja's mausoleum in to all this. Khan should have learnt humility from the Sufi's life. A Dargah, a Khanqah or a Hospice is no body's exclusive property. Khan should also know his limits. He is not a priest who conducts worship on one's behalf.
@Shahzad Ali Channa:
"Did this Patriotic ever boycott Gujrat Riots :). atleast no word like genocide is associated with hindus. critics shouldn’t rely on spoon feeding and must judge through comparison. :)"
Let's first accept the truth that the Gujarat pogrom wouldn't have happened if a muslim gang hadn't torched 75 Hindus inside a train. Second, 750 muslims and 300 Hindus died in the horrible riots in the aftermath of the train massacre. While that is definitely anti-human and horrible, it was not a genocide by any definition as was in the case of East Pakistan when three million bengalis were butchered by the pak army.
As for "boycott" and condemning the Gujarat pogrom, yes, both Hindus and muslims have done it in no uncertain terms.
@Ponga Pundit: Rightly said. Go ask how many Sikhs living abroad based on political asylum. We know the fact what happens to indian muslims in free ans secular india after pakistan wins a match in india ...hate and bias is characteristics of you ...
@Singh: remember 1984 and what happened in Amritsar. if you don't go ask an elder around you ...
@G. Din: Only a blind and deaf can make a statement about security, equality, and prosperity of Muslims (and minorities) in India.
@Foreign Leg:
"I know of no greater Islam than the Sufism that is practiced on the subcontinent that seeks oneness with God."
Seeking oneness with god is not part of Islam. In fact, it is blasphemy in Islam. The idea of mysticism and oneness with god is a Hindu concept. Sufi principles are based on Hindu vedantic philosophy. For these reasons, the main Islamic schools reject Sufism as unislamic.
@Raj Usa I'm a proud practising Shia in Pakistan. We're proud of our nation. Pakistan is for us and we can sacrifice our lives for Pakistan. Shia, Sunni, Wahabi we're all one for love of Pakistan. We're an Islamic Republic and a proud one. We love It. No matter what, we'll give everything for It.
More loyal than the king
@nishant: We already know what you believe in.
To all who replied to my comments: This is the level of tolerance you can offer. Nice. Don't make yourself and others a fool. Come to the core of the comments. Pak is an Islamic country [a joke - no one believes on this]. Who are you? A secular state? Really? Look at the level of hate inside you, around yourself, and think again. Think what you are doing with Kashmirs, Gujratis, and many others.
It would have been much more acceptable had India and Pakistan been enemies purely based on national grounds as opposed to Pakistan always showing (and exploiting) the religion side.
@Truth: He has and he does and he knows the fact and not just so called media hype. An average muslim is far more better off in secular India than in Islamic republic of Pakistan. To support this fact you can compare how many Muslims want to run away from Pakistan and seek asylm abroad citing threat to their life and their conditions in Pakistan and how many such muslims will you find in India ? Pakistan would have done better to be a Secular rather than Islamic republic and teach it's citizen tolerance rather than violence against other people of other religion. Anyways its not simply killing of a soldier but the nature and barbaric mindset to inhumanly behead him is what any human will be against of. That basic understanding is somewhat always lacking in Pakistanis.
Did this Patriotic ever boycott Gujrat Riots :). atleast no word like genocide is associated with hindus. critics shouldn't rely on spoon feeding and must judge through comparison. :)
@Truth: Still better than Pakistan.
@Truth: Mr Khan is a true patriot & we are extremely proud of him. He knows his homeland is not perfect but loves it unconditionally nonetheless. He is also no poor guy having to survive. He holds an exalted position in a place of worship that probably more Hindus visit than Muslims. But what would low information people like you know about all of this?
“There are incidents of atrocities on minorities in Pakistan and we have seen people from the Hindu community migrating to India on account of religious, financial and social persecution in Pakistan,” he said.
Indian foreign office should take lesson from Mr Zainul. Its not the LoC skirmishes. Its the extermination of minorities from Pakistan, which is the issue.
Salman Khurshid should make Ashraf pay the lunch bill.. LOL
@Truth:
I have said many times in my comments that no one and not even one muslim consider Pakistan as a country of muslims. Comments like these and those who keep posting links to Babri Masjid and Gujrat tells loud and clear to shias, hazaras and other muslim sects in Pakistan, that a lot of people in Pakistan clearly pretend to feel for other muslims throughout the world but will praise, worship and garland Malik Ishaq and his likes. Every such comment should make the "others" who are hated and persecuted realize that Pakistanis know what they are doing to these groups. They also know that what they are doing is not good and yet do it to them. Those commenting like this, and there are many, are not illiterate or ignorant or even madrassa educated. If this is the educated and affluent class, can anyone even dare to think of the madrassa educated?
Let me ask one question. Who are these Shias, hazaras and such groups? Are they not muslims? If so, why they are considered, called and always referred as minorities in Pakistan, the only country in the world that was created for muslims. Pakistan and Iran are the only two countries in the world who call them "Islamic Republic". There are no other Islamic Republics in the world. We all know what Pakistan is. Let the sunnis try building a sunni mosque in Iran and see what happens. There may be few that were build during or before the Shah regime. I do not think any have been built after the revolution, may be I do not have the full facts.
who cares what deewan says! he could score numbers among indian jingoists but it doesn't matter to the true visitor of dargah!
That is what nationalism does, Muslims divided over land!
@truth
ur remarks has absolutely no truth... What is happening in gujrat,kashmir,assam? Ans is nothing.....because whenever i read any international or pak news paper i only see mass murders of innocent civilians by ur STRATEGIC ASSETS almost on daily basis....bbc,nytimes.fox news,guardian ETC nobody have noticed gujrat,kashmir,assam but instead they noticed quetta and karachi...now u will say that it is conspiracy theory by west...
@Truth: "Before the dewan had made any comments of any type and what is happening within any other country, he better look at Kashmir, Aasam, Gujrat, just to name few. He will not feel bad about other countries. "
YEs DO look at Gujarat. It has been riot free for 11 years. Tell me a state in Pakistan that has been so fortunate. As far as the Assam issue is concerned, the fights are between animists (not Hindu) tribals and Bangladeshi illegal migrants. The Muslims in question are not Indian citizens. And frankly in the last few years since India has increased its vigil on LOC Indian Kashmir is FAR more peaceful than FATA, KPK, Balochistan and Karachi. The army is not there because the population is Muslim -it is there because there is an insurgency. No different from why your army is in FATA and Balochistan.
@Truth: What rot! If you got to NYC, you will notice that foreign immigrants are more capitalistic than the Americans. Cuban Americans are the ones who are aggressive about any rapproachment with Cuba. . Similarly, Indian minorities (and I am one of them) are very conscious about our freedoms because we know what we could have never got. Sufism is a unique tradition of Islam and thrives only in very few places around the world. Sufism is inclusive and has enriched the Indian culture and we Indians are proud of it. As a child without even knowing that Islam was a different religion, I had been to the Haji Ali Dargah in Bombay and I felt at ease. I know of no greater Islam than the Sufism that is practiced on the subcontinent that seeks oneness with God.
The truth really is that the poor guy has to live and survive in world's so called free and biggest democracy. Before the dewan had made any comments of any type and what is happening within any other country, he better look at Kashmir, Aasam, Gujrat, just to name few. He will not feel bad about other countries.
@VINOD: "I am happy that India is extending the basic curtsies to a visiting PM of Pakistan and his counter part is having lunch with him".
It is a personal visit so no diplomatic requirements are relevant. But the counterpart (Manmoan Singh) is not the one having lunch - it is the Indian foreign minister.
but the PM was not going to see him any way
anybody cant FORCE to accept his religion, we should do such good things for changing people acceptance towards any religion. religion has created by Human not by god or allah, so it doesnt make any difference, there is one sun, one moon, one universe and 1 god. some called its Allah, some God and some Bhagwan. but allah knows some terrorist mind people cant understand this thing. as a human being and indian we love Allah, we love God and we love Bhagwan.
Utterly humiliating!
Sir, i commend you.Majority of Indian Muslims are patriotic and knows whats best for them
I salute you and your honor
u r true indian and human being, we are proud of u Mr. Zainul Abedin Ali Khan.
I am happy that India is extending the basic curtsies to a visiting PM of Pakistan and his counter part is having lunch with him. The teaching of Sufis must be remembered and love instead hate should flow.
now... u ppl will understand what indians beleive in.....
"Ajmer Sharif dargah dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan on Friday said taht he will not assist Ashraf in offering prayers at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. “It will be a dishonor to the families of the Indian soldiers who were beheaded by Pak army,” Khan said."
Khan sahab, we are Proud of you!!!! Bravo.......Hats off to you sir!!
(ET : Please check the spelling mistake -taht ; in the quoted sentence, a small mistake though)