THIS is apropos Dr Mervyn Hosein’s letter ‘Pakistan hijacked’ (Dec 6) in which a bleak picture of our country has been painted.

Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah did famously say: “Religion has nothing to do with the business of the state.” But if the writer thinks that the recent sit-in by some religious parties against blasphemy was interference in the business of the state, he is sadly mistaken.

They were protesting only against those misguided politicians who stealthily amended the oath regarding the finality of our Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The nefarious designs of the culprits were undone by the clerics through a determined protest. It was a prudent decision by the government and the army to read the writing on the wall and defuse tensions by asking Zahid Hamid to resign. The writer perhaps wanted bloodshed which did not happen. It was never a capitulation by the government.

In India, there is a Muslim-specific wave spearheaded by no less a person than the Indian prime minister, as seen in the demolition of Babri Masjid incident and the ongoing massacre in occupied Kashmir. No Muslim can eat beef in the so-called liberal, progressive, secular and enlightened India. If caught, he is lynched.

In contrast, I have never heard a Pakistani religious leader of any school of thought stoking the fire of hatred against any religion.

Pakistan has come to stay. It is not a time bomb. If India, which is facing multi-dimensional problems, is not a ticking time bomb, how come Pakistan has become a time bomb?

Pakistan is not a theocracy. Just a few days ago, Pakistan was governed by a clean shaven prime minister — a personal friend of Modi. The writer never objected to his friendship.

I highly appreciate the decision by writer’s parents to migrate to Pakistan as my parents did and we left a settled life in India but prospered in the new country. We should thank that we are in Pakistan and enjoying both life and opulence. Nobody can dare hijack Pakistan.

Ahmad Siddiqui

Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2017