Im a Pakistani Christian. I was born in this country, so were my parents, their parents and so on. We have been living in Pakistan since it came into existence. Our generations have shed their blood for the independence of this “PaakSarzameen”. A fine gentleman named Muhammad Ali Jinnah told our people (the Christians) [read more] that if we support the cause of having an independence Nation for the Muslims of subcontinent, we as Christians will be treated as equal citizens as majority. We will have all the rights and even the “perks” of a citizen. He said that since they as Muslims were treated as “second class citizens” and as an achooth caste (spreading germs or being unclean) by hindus of the region, so they very deeply understand the pain and suffering of being treated that way. Thus he would never allow such humiliation for any other minority in their country. And that the minority there will be treated with love and respect and will have full independence of practicing their faith without being judged. Our ancestors believed him. They trusted him and supported him fully by every possible means known to humankind. A lot of our father’s blood was shed. We lost many loved ones and then one of our father casted the winning or the tie breaking vote and…… Pakistan came into being!!
“Muhammad Ali Jinnah: A Visionary Leader Who Transformed Pakistan with Justice, Equality, and Integrity”
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, being a true gentleman fulfilled every promised he made to us. We all were happy. Pakistan was growing rapidly because God was happy with the just rulers of the country. They were honest and loyal towards their country and their people (regardless of their faiths and religions). They treated them all equally as the CITIZENS of the country and not as Muslims, Christians or Hindus.
Then the Quaid died. People came and go as rulers of the country. Some were honest while the others were…you know otherwise. Every new ruler came with their own set of instructions and made amendments in the constitution according to their comfort. The strong ideology of the country was compromised again and again. Any country’s soul is its constitution. The stronger the constitution is, the healthier the country is. Now after seventy seven years Pakistan is very ill. Its constitution and rules went through many many surgeries of amendments, thus leaving behind a very lethargy and weak Pakistan.
“Challenges Faced by Christians in Pakistan: Striving for Equality among Discrimination, Harassment, and Broken Promises”
The unpleasant health condition of Pakistan directly and mostly affected us, the Christians. I don’t exactly know how and when it all started happening, but since my birth I was treated like a “second class citizen”. People started calling us bad names. We were deprived of even the basic rights like food and shelter. We are looked down upon. No matter how patriot, educated, talented, and loyal or genius we are, second class will remain our identity. I have seen the majority avoiding sitting with us at meals in educational institutes or at work places and being treated as “second class citizens” and as an achooth caste (spreading germs or being unclean). We are not given equal opportunities. The females of our community face many challenges too. They are often harassed and suffer physical abuse on a massive scale. It is hard for them to move in the society and stay Christian at the same time. If they do, things become even harder.
We receive many life threats and have suffered a lot of violence. Our religious buildings our homes, our people are often burnt down. But this is not always the case. We do see better days too. When elections season come, we are visited by very famous leaders and elites. They offer us generous amounts of donations and treat us with kindness. Some of us are even offered good jobs in government and private sectors! The people of our community are so used to of being deprived and mistreated that when someone from the majority community speaks with kindness to them they suddenly forget everything. All their wounds and deep cuts are sowed immediately. They AGAIN trust them like they did back in 1947. But with the end of election season, utopia ends too and reality checks back on them. Thus the same old stories repeat again and again. Nothing changed!
“Reveal the Contradiction: Questioning My Role as a ‘Second-Class Citizen’ and the True Value of My Vote and Humanity
I want to ask all the first class citizens. If I am a second class citizen, why was my vote so important back then and why is it still today? It should not even matter. The voting should do in the majority community. As far as my knowledge treats me, votes are casted by citizens only. By the ones who receive all the benefits of the country and not by any mere, lowly second class!
I want to ask all the first class citizens, if I am a second class citizen, Am I a second class human too? Are there any categories in human race too that I am unaware of? If there are, then, oh boy, I certainly am the lowest of them all.
IM NOT ONLY A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN, I MUST BE A SECOND CLASS HUMAN TOO!!!
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“One of Us from Team Freeland” [/read]