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Sunday, October 6, 2024

Is prejudice towards Muslims in India paving a way for a “Second Partition”?

News Analysis |

As India is on its way to becoming an extremist Hindu state and more intolerant society, former chief minister of India occupied Kashmir (IoK), Omer Abdullah on Tuesday called out India for prejudice towards Muslim while appreciating Pakistan for sacking Punjab information minister over anti-Hindu comments.

Mr. Abdullah who was not happy to see the remarks of Tathagata Roy, the governor of Indian state Meghalaya, against Kashmiris; Roy said, “In Pakistan, a state minister is sacked for his remarks against Hindus. In India, a state Governor isn’t even reprimanded for his public call to boycott & ostracise all Kashmiri Muslims.”

Pakistani journalists, civil society, and public intellectuals took to Twitter and demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan, chief of the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, to sack him for his behavior unbecoming of a minister.

Tathagata Roy had has tweeted that “An appeal from a retired colonel of the Indian Army: Don’t visit Kashmir, don’t go to Amarnath for the next 2 years. Don’t buy articles from Kashmir emporia or Kashmiri tradesman who come every winter. Boycott everything Kashmiri. I am inclined to agree.”

Mr. Abudullah who is irked by uncalled for comments by Indian politician has said that India always prefers to compare herself with Pakistan then it must compare it with the fact as well.

It is important to mention here that Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has been sacked by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar a day after he made derogatory remarks against Hindu community in a gathering on Monday.

Read more: Pakistan’s Mithi, an oasis of Muslim-Hindu tolerance

Pakistani journalists, civil society, and public intellectuals took to Twitter and demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan, chief of the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, to sack him for his behavior unbecoming of a minister. Citizens on Twitter maintained that Pakistan is for all and nobody has the right to hurt the feelings of any community. Moreover, Punjab chief minister’s spokesperson Dr. Shahbaz Gill confirmed the development, saying Mr. Chohan’s resignation was accepted by CM Usman Buzdar.

The decision to remove Chohan was also announced in a tweet by the ruling party on its official handle. “PTI Punjab government has removed Fayyaz Chohan from the post of Punjab Information Minister following derogatory remarks about the Hindu community. Bashing someone’s faith should not be a part of any narrative. Tolerance is the first & foremost pillar on which #Pakistan was built,” it tweeted.

This country has once been partitioned into two, and there can be more partitions if killings of Muslims are not stopped immediately,” Mr. Hussain has said.

Contrary to practices in Pakistan, ever since BJP in India came into power, religious minorities in India are facing severe challenges. Muslims have been the primary target of the extremist Hindus who reportedly want Muslims to leave ‘their’ country and go to Pakistan. Senior leader of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Muzaffar Hussain last year expressed his anger and warned Indian leadership of one more partition if atrocities against Muslims are not stopped.

“I want to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he should put an end to the killing of Muslims in the name of cow slaughter. This country has once been partitioned into two, and there can be more partitions if killings of Muslims are not stopped immediately,” Mr. Hussain has said.

Read more: Chohan faces severe backlash for derogatory remarks against Hindus

International media and analysts have also shown severe reservations over the treatment of Muslim in contemporary India where Prime Minister Nagendra Modi is allegedly using anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan cards to win the upcoming general elections. Markandey Katju, a former Indian Judge has recently said that Indian democracy is under threat not because of Muslims or Pakistan but only because of sitting Indian Prime Minister who is turning India from a secular state to an extremist Hindu state.