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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent comments on the concept of ‘Akhand Bharat’ are not merely evidence of his penchant for empty rhetoric; they lay bare the deep-seated complexes that many Pakistani leaders harbour towards India.
Zardari declared that Indians have their own way of thinking and their own perspective; they believe in Akhand Bharat, but “We are Muslims, they are not. We know how to tolerate. There are four per cent Hindus in Pakistan, and they are as free here as anywhere else. They prefer to live in Pakistan rather than India.”
These remarks reveal how fragile Zardari’s grasp of history truly is. Had it been stronger, he would have recalled the presence of Hindus in his country with shame rather than pride.
When Pakistan came into existence in 1947, Hindus constituted 14.6 per cent of its population. The most recent census, completed in 2023, shows that figure has dwindled to a mere 2.17 per cent.
Where did the rest of those Hindus go? What form of ‘tolerance’ did they endure? The Hindu population has similarly declined in Bangladesh.
Since its creation, Pakistan has witnessed the persecution of Hindus and other minority communities. These include Christians and Sikhs.
Under the cover of blasphemy laws, forced conversions and marriages have drawn deep concern even from Amnesty International.
In stark contrast, India stands as a global example of how a tolerant majority enables its minorities to climb the ladder of progress with remarkable speed.
This is not to claim that India is free of reactionaries or communal violence. Yet the entire social fabric of Indian society rests on the philosophy of tolerance and coexistence; consequently, reactionaries here are quickly isolated.
Zardari would do well to remember that during ‘Operation Sindoor’, India’s Muslims stood shoulder to shoulder with its Hindus against the enemy.
Such unity does not arise from mere forbearance; it flows from a genuine sense of equality.
Islamabad has long harboured the ambition of positioning itself as the leader of the world’s Muslims. Yet, by a cruel irony, its record even on this front is in tatters.
The world knows full well how the Pakistani deep state has treated the Ahmadiyya community, stripping them even of the right to perform the Eid sacrifice and demolishing their mosques. Why? Because they embraced Islam’s message of peace and advocated distance from extremism.
President Zardari would do better to learn lessons in tolerance from Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. The country proudly preserves an entire Hindu-majority island and its culture.
This is, in truth, an age of blustering politicians.
From America to South Asia, numerous heads of state routinely grab headlines with meaningless statements. It would be far wiser for Pakistani leaders to stop inviting ridicule with absurd pronouncements and instead reflect seriously on how to repair their country’s negative image.
Speaking with sense and restraint would certainly prove their greatest asset in that endeavour.
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