The Minorities in Pakistan

Pakistan was created for the Muslims so that they could live and progress independently according to their beliefs and purposes.Islam,which is the religion more than 96 percent of the total population,gives an important position and status to all the other religions in the country.That is why religions of the smaller groups of people or the minorities should be respected by the majorities.

The Christians form the largest minority in the country.They are more than fifteen lac.Their two major sects are of the Protestants and the Roman Catholics.The churches of these sects are well maintained in different parts of the country.Most of the Muslims love the Christian fellow citizens.However,some stray incidents of violence at the churches and Christian educational institutions, were in reaction to the government stand on Afghanistan and terrorism.What to talk of the minorities,the terrorist Muslim sects have been involved in killings in mosques and "imambarahs". Whether it is against the Christians or against the Muslims,terrorism is a living threat to the life and existence of the minorities.

The Christians have maintained their church service.They have celebrated,together with their Muslim compatriots,their festivals of Christmas and Easter.Foreign religious delegations from Europe,America and the Far East have visited their missions in Pakistan.A few years ago,some intelligent Christians often told the writer of this essay,"We feel freer here even more than we feel in a predominantly Christian country."

We have about three lac Hindus,who are mostly settled in Sindh and Karachi.We honor able and noble Hindus just as we respect righteous Muslims.The Hindus are free to offer prayers in their temples and to enjoy their festivals like "holi" and "deewali."We find able Hindu doctors,engineers,computer experts,designers,architects and artists at different places.We should prove our faithfulness to the golden principles of minority-majority equality.

Further,we have Parsis,Buddhists,Ahmadis and followers of other religions like the Sikhs,Bahais,Jains and others.These small religious communities or groups are free to follow their religions and to work gainfully in different fields like education,medicine,law and science.

In Karachi and other cities in Sindh,we witness Zoroastrians or Parsis worshiping the fire in their holy places.This kind of religious worship is common to the other religions like the Jains and Bahais,who follow their religious leaders and worship freely.

The minorities truly deserve to be given the widest possible protection to their life and property and to all their legal activities.

Human Rights Abuses (violations)

In fact,Islam is the 7th century laid emphasis on the equality of all men before God,the rights of slaves or servants,women and wives and the rights of all to enjoy their property and money freely and suitably.Later,democratic developments in England,France and the US resulted in the form of law guaranteeing rights of human beings,democratic equality and justice.The UN charter of human rights is again a repetition of their principles.

The most painful and shameful violations of human rights have recently taken place in Afghanistan,Kashmir,Palestine,Bosnia,Chechnya and in various Africa countries.

Our Constitution provides for protection against the violation of most of the human beings.Yet,the rights continue to be abused through the length and breadth of the country.Besides the protection of the Constitution,we need to take some other urgent measures to ensure the non-violation of the rights.

Firstly,the common people should be educated in the shortest possible time to certain reasonable standards.The educated masses,then,would understand how to exercise their rights.

Secondly,all possible efforts should be made to bring about economic justice as early as possible.The feudal system in the villages should be broken up speedily.Large landholdings should be taken away and the released land should be divided into medium-size units to be cultivated by poorer farmers with government help.The water resources should be put to the best use to the benefit of all.

Thirdly,in and around the cities,the business and industries should be induced to employ educated labor and pay them handsomely.

Fourthly,the law of the land should be modified according to our changing economic,social and political needs.New laws should be framed to meet new situations.

The future of human rights is brighter,no doubt in developed democracies, and as much darker,in the half-democracies,dictatorships,autocracies and oligarchies(government by small groups of all powerful people).

Are Human Rights a phenomenon without merit or a crucial aspect of our inter-governmental/inter-societal system?Some would argue that the foundation of human rights contradicts the means.Fir instance,when discussing the use of the term "Universal Human Rights," we often forget that the term "universal instigates nations to follow under one set doctrine of particular principles.The contradiction lies within the entity which promotes said norms,the United Nations;within it,the international non-governmental entity seeks out ways of promoting their vision of a world bound by a code of conduct and a common goal of peace and co-existence.The problem is how does one go about doing implementing human right son a universal scale while respecting a state's right to sovereignty and direction of law(Orford,2003)?

South Asia

The great Indian Ocean washes the shores of Pakistan,India,Sri Lanka,the Maldives and Bangladesh.Together with these,Nepal and Bhutan make up much of South Asia.South Asia is truly thickly populated as it has one-fifth of the world's total population.

The Indian sub-continent was vast and had all the world's climates in its different parts,diverse crops,fruits,vegetables,mineral resources,forests,rivers and mountains and a frightening population.Now add to this the resources and work force of Sri Lanka,the Maldives,Bhutan and Nepal.So,we have rice,wheat,cotton,oranges,bananas,fish,iron,silver,gold,uranium,diamonds,oil,gas and many other resources that are needed for all kinds of commercial,industrial and scientific activities.

The varieties of climate in the religion from hot cold and dry to wet give the taste of the entire world topography in the form of mountains,plains,seas and rivers.

Pakistan's position is undoubtedly central to the whole South Asian region as it acts as a bridge between the Middle East and Central Asia.Then,Pakistan itself bridges China and Southwest Asia and West Asia and East Asia as well.So,geographically,commercially,politically and militarily Pakistan occupies a central position in the region.If we consider the sea and land routes,the easy movement of men and goods along the land surface and seacoasts of Pakistan from the eastern countries including India to the western countries including the Iran,the importance of Pakistan can well be imagined.

However,South Asia is in an unhappy state,almost hopelessly caught up in many political and economic problems and evils.

Firstly,the most painful and destructive political problem of Kashmir has continued to poison the relations of the two important countries of the region.India has ,through the last fifty years,kept Kashmir with it forcibly against the will of the Kashmiris.Therefore,the Kashmiris have struggled for freedom and Pakistan and India have fought wars with disastrous consequences.

Secondly,the rise of Hindu extremism,fundamentalism or nationalism or religious intolerance is a constant cause of conflict between the Hindus and Muslims in the country.This conflict resulted in the demolition of the Babri mosque and large-scale disturbances and killing sin India a few years ago.

Thirdly,the internal Tamil uprising in Sri Lanka and unsuccessful efforts of the Indians to help in crushing it have kept the Sri Lankans hanging between bloodshed and false hopes of peace.

Fourthly,a common problem of the smaller South Asian countries is to check the growing desire of India to become a mini-superpower of the region and then to dominate and crush others.

Now is the time,after the nuclear preparations by India and Pakistan on equal levels,to establish a true balance of power,equality,peace, and justice in the whole South Asian region.

Nuclear Explosions by Pakistan

It was May 1998 that Pakistan exploded six atomic bombs in Balochistan to become the world's seventh nuclear power(after the US,UK,France,Russia,China and India). India was already a nuclear power after its first nuclear explosion in 1974.However,she conducted five atomic tests in early May 1998 in Rajasthan in order to become a "declared" nuclear power.Then started a series of threats and warnings that the Indian leaders hurled or directed towards Pakistan.It was demanded of Pakistan to withdraw from Azad Kashmir or face the march of the Indian army into it.Already the Indian army,air force planes,tanks and sophisticated weapons far outnumbered those in possession of Pakistan.Pakistan was not prepared to accept Indian dictation and domination.Therefore,she herself became a declared nuclear power.

The results of Pakistan's successful nuclear tests were highly favorable to her at least in the military and political fields.Firstly,the balance of power which was weighing heavily on India's side after here nuclear testing of early May was suitably corrected.After her own nuclear testing Pakistan could herself warn India of an atomic war and large-scale destruction in case she attacked Azad Kashmir or any part of Pakistan.Soon after Pakistan's testing and possible deployment of the nuclear weapons on here Ghauri missiles,the war fever of the Indians came down and their violent excitement evaporated.

Secondly,Pakistan emerged on the world map as the only Islamic nuclear power after her atomic tests.For all the Islamic countries it was a matter of pride.Pakistan's scientific and technological power was recognized by them all.

Thirdly,the Kashmir problem,which was rather being taken lightly by the world powers and the UN came into the limelight in world politics.The world came to understand that the atomic explosions by India and Pakistan were the directly connected with the-long standing Kashmir dispute.The US,UK and France,especially,felt the need of getting this dispute settled.

Now,other countries,especially the advanced ones,should understand Pakistan's compulsion to explode the bombs in May 1998.They should try directly to bring home to India that the settlement of the Kashmir dispute only can bring the nuclear race in this area to an end.

The Judiciary and Our Country

"Judiciary" means the system of courts in the country,which apply the law of the land to the cases that they take up and to all matters that they look into.The judicial system of a country is its whole network of courts of different kinds-civil,criminal,banking,administrative,family- and the lawyers' associations.The Supreme Court,which is the apex court,regulates all the judicial system.

The Supreme Court and other courts can work well only when they are independent.A court is in name only if it cannot decide cases independently,without fearing or favoring anyone.The weak operation of separation of powers and checks and balances has had destructive effects on the functioning of judicial review in our superior courts."Judicial review" is the power of courts to review and revise decisions of government departments,agencies and even courts.With the colossal increase in the powers and authority of the executive in the country,the courts of law should also have proportionately empowered to initiate judicial-review proceedings.

The conflict between the executive and the judiciary over the presidential reference to the Supreme Judicial Council against the Chief Justice on 9 March 2007 resulted from the absence of the operation of separation of powers,checks and balances,equality before the law and rule of law.Some reasons stand out for the disappointing political,social,economic and religious situation.Firstly,the leaders or politicians at the start did not adopt a more reasonable political system of government..Our conditions justified a strong presidential federal system in an educated and well-informed country instead of the loose parliamentary system.Secondly,the important leaders did not bring to end the feudal system,which promoted economic inequality and social disintegration.Thirdly,no effective steps were taken to educate all the people on the right lines.Fourthly,English,which is our own Indian-Aryan language,was not taught to the masses, and was not made the second national language in the constitution of the country.As a result,the nation continued to be backward in thought,expression,understanding and knowledge.Fifthly,no proper national economic programs were prepared and implemented for fast agricultural and industrial development and the general progress of the poor people of Pakistan.Sixthly,the Kashmir issue and the connected water problems were not attended to properly in the early stages.

In the dismal circumstances,the politicians,who were mostly corrupt,incapable and unwise,could not run the country suitably.They gave several chances, and even extended invitations,to the military to take over and rule the country continuously.Now the politicians and members of the legal profession want to introduce democracy in the country without changing the basic social order.Is it not funnily impossible?

It may be possible,anyhow, to introduce democracy in stages,but unavoidably dragging behind other democratic or progressive states.We should,in nay case,set about changing the political,economic and social structure keeping in view the six points above.