Pakistaniyon, hum bilkul tum jaise nikle
The famous Pakistani progressive poet and human rights activist Fahmida Riaz who died recently wrote a poem titled ‘ Tum bilkul hum jaise nikle ‘ ( You too turned out to be just like us ). Fahmida earlier had a high opinion of Indian secularism, but her dreams crashed when she saw what was going on in India after the rise of BJP in 1996 when it emerged as the largest party in the Lok Sabha, and particularly after May 2014 when it gained an absolute majority, inaugurating an era of lynching of Muslims by cow vigilantes, ghar wapasi, revival of Ram Mandir agitation, etc. So in this poem she compares the forces of Hindutva with the Islamic fundamentalism of Gen Zia-ul-Haq, and says India is no different from Pakistan. And she is right. The truth is that India, like Pakistan, is a highly communal country. In India most Hindus are communal, and so are most Muslims. This I can say from my personal experience. When I am with my Hindu friends and relatives, and they are sure no Muslim is p...