By Syed Shamim Akhtar
On Christmas Day, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif delivered a clear and resolute message to Pakistan’s religious minorities: injustice in the name of faith will not be tolerated, and the law will act to safeguard their rights. Speaking both on the social media platform X and at a Christmas ceremony in Islamabad, the Prime Minister congratulated the country’s Christian community, emphasizing that Pakistan guarantees full religious freedom. He highlighted the constructive role of minorities in national development, standing shoulder to shoulder with the government, and contrasted this with India, where the Modi administration has increasingly spread hatred under the banner of religion.
The significance of these statements was reinforced by Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Defence Forces, who visited Pindi Church to participate in Christmas celebrations. Speaking on the occasion, he underscored that protecting minority rights lies at the very foundation of the Pakistan ideology. Stressing interfaith harmony and national cohesion, he praised the Christian community’s contributions to national progress and affirmed the armed forces’ commitment to safeguarding the dignity, security, and equal rights of all citizens, including religious minorities, under the Constitution.
This stands in stark contrast to events in India during the same period, where Christmas celebrations were marred by violence against the Christian minority. Reports from several Indian states, including Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala, describe attacks on churches, vandalism, and harassment of celebrants by extremist Hindu groups. In Madhya Pradesh, authorities went so far as to cancel Christmas as a public holiday, opting instead to commemorate former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday. Such incidents reveal the systemic vulnerability of minorities in India and expose the failures of the state to uphold its own professed secular principles.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Atta Tarar, aptly observed that these contrasting realities reveal the true faces of Pakistan and India to the world. In Pakistan, minorities enjoy full protection of their constitutional, civil, and religious rights, and the state actively participates in safeguarding their celebrations and places of worship. The Prime Minister’s statements on X reaffirm that the government treats minority protection not merely as a moral obligation but as a constitutional duty. Similarly, the Chief of Defence Forces’ visit to the church and his public remarks serve as a powerful symbol of state solidarity with religious minorities, highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to interfaith harmony and national unity.
The historical context further underlines the importance of these actions. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founder, made it unequivocally clear in his August 11, 1947, speech to the Legislative Assembly that religion would have no role in state affairs, and every citizen would enjoy complete freedom to practice their faith. Today’s leadership, through both words and deeds, continues to reaffirm this foundational principle. Meanwhile, India’s actions during the same period underscore the dangers of religious extremism institutionalized as state policy. The ongoing attacks on Christians, coupled with a broader climate of intolerance towards Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits, and other minorities, reveal the aggressive trajectory of Hindutva ideology.
Under Prime Minister Modi, religious intolerance, hatred, and violence have become woven into the fabric of governance, exposing minorities to systemic discrimination and danger. The implications extend beyond India’s borders. A state that violates the rights of its own citizens, allowing extremist ideologies to flourish unchecked, becomes a destabilizing force for regional and global security. India’s domestic policies, coupled with aggressive postures towards its neighbors, pose tangible threats to peace in South Asia. The persecution of minorities is only one manifestation of a wider extremist mindset that, if left unaddressed, could have consequences far beyond its borders.
In this context, Pakistan’s unequivocal stance on minority protection, interfaith harmony, and national unity stands out as a model of responsible governance. It is a reminder that the values of tolerance, respect, and equality remain central to the country’s identity. Meanwhile, India’s extremist trajectory is now fully exposed, providing a stark historical record of which nation upholds human rights and which pursues a policy of division and oppression. For the international community, the lesson is clear: silence in the face of India’s Hindutva agenda not only condones domestic oppression but risks regional and global instability.
(The writer has diverse in knowledge and has a good omen in politics, can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
