[Reader-list] Hindu families in Pakistan feel scared, India grants Visa

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear Kshmendra

Do you think that this is a predicament of 'Hindus' alone or a general
tendency of majoritiarian nation states to alienate minorities on the basis
of their so called religious/ethnic identities? How different is the
situation of 'Hindus' in Pakistan from 'Muslims' of India or 'Hindus' of
Bangladesh or 'Jews' of Germany sometime back or 'Christians' of Rome a long
time back or 'Tutsis' of Rwanda or ' Tibetan Buddhists' of China or
'Palestianian Arabs' of Israel or 'Blacks or Hispaniacs of America, when it
comes to assertion of dominant ethno-religious form of nationalism.

This makes me think about the Asis Nandy's observation about violence and
blood shedding as part of legitimate strategy for nation building. Are we
witnessing another round of 'demonic and seductive'  form a religious
nationalism? Could we read the terrible experience of 'Hnidu' families as
yet another sick rite of exorcism? (the link to this essay by Nandy was
kindly posted by Jeebesh on the reader-list few days ago). Are we witnessing
signs of an 'Islamic' revolution in Pakistan?

 It is indeed sad and disgusting to see sections of pakistan's neo political
class pick on 'Hindus' to make an example of them.

Regards

Taha



On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 2:13 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Versions of the news item reproduced below (from PunjabNewsline) have also
> appeared in:
>
> - ZEENEWS "Pak Hindu families seekl India citizenship"
>      http://international.zeenews.com/inner1.asp?aid=203968&sid=HEL
>
> - DAWN "Fata’s 35 Hindus migrate to India"
>
> http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/pakistan/fatas-35-hindus-migrate-to-india--bi
>
> Kshmendra
>
>
> "Hindu families in Pakistan feel scared, India grants Visa"
> JAGMOHAN SINGH
> Saturday, 07 March 2009
>
> AMRITSAR: Indian Government has granted one year visa to 35 Hindu migrants
> from Pakistan who faced threat to their lives in Pakistan, particularly in
> tribal areas. The group including 16 men, 16 females and three children had
> crossed over to india few days back.
>
> The Pak Hindus narrated their woes to Indian authorities. They carried the
> nightmare, experienced Immediately after they went to Delhi to get extension
> in visa and permission to stay in Amritsar. All the families arrived in
> Amritsar on Saturday after obtaining visa for one year.
>
> Jagdish Sharma resident of tribal area near Peshawar in Pakistan said, “We
> were living in Pakistan under severe fear psychosis due to the domination of
> strong group of Taliban people who are running parallel Government. In such
> circumstances, Hindus and Sikh families were not safe, especially our female
> members. We preferred to migrate in India, at least here in India we can
> breathe out with peace and calm mind since our families are safe in India”.
>
> Adding further he said, “We strongly urge the Government of India to allow
> us stay here in India permanently, since we don’t want to go back in the
> hellish atmosphere where there is no life security”.
>
> Jagdish Sharma said, “All the 35 members of four Hindu families would never
> prefer to return to Pakistan. Now we have intention to settle here
> permanently and expect that Government of India would never disappoint the
> Pakistan based Hindus who arrived here after being plundered in Pakistan”.
>
> Hardwari Lal resident of Orkzai nearly 180 kilometers from Peshawar said,
> “I was running my grocery shop there which was forcibly took over by the
> fundamentalist people who also took possession of our entire property. Even
> Sikh Gurdwara (Sikh shrine) as well as Hindu Temples were not safe, since
> none of the priest of respective religions dare to stay there for required
> necessary ritual daily prayers. Pakistan Government has appointed local
> executive magistrates as a care taker for religious shrines in the tribal
> area of Pakistan”.
>
> Hardwari said, “We strongly urge the Government of India to do the needful
> for us so that we could settle down in India and could reestablish our
> business here as there is no chance for us to go back to Pakistan”.
>
> Rekha a female migrant from Peshawar said, “ We have heaved sigh of relief
> while reaching on Indian territory, since every morning we were observing
> close encounter to death as life is highly unsecured. My parents were always
> worried about me and my brothers due to domination of fundamentalist people.
> Being a girl I Never went out of my house and remained confined with in the
> four walls of our house. I never got privilege to obtain education, since
> girls were not allowed to attend school in the tribal area of Pakistan”.
>
> Adding further Rekha said, “There was no life in the tribal area of
> Pakistan, as there was no liberty for   women to move out, if gets chance
> only in Burqa (clad) while covering face and body with black gown. In
> Pakistan Taliban considers Hindu community very meek and feeble. Numerous
> Hindu families still were languishing in the tribal area of Pakistan as
> unable to get visa for India which they were facing acute hardship. Since
> for visa everybody has to appear before the Indian High Commission and for
> women it is difficult to come out from house to move out from the tribal
> area”, she quipped.
>
> http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/15562/40/
>
>
>
>
>
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