A very unthoughtful act by the organizers, this clearly reflects the caliber and vision of our leaders. I can easily say or confirm that is the first time that any national monument is been painted or dressed-up in ethnic color worldwide. I wonder where is our national pride, simply a shameful act which disgraces the very logic and sanctity of this great monument. I strongly suggest that this must be removed immediately as there are other ways to celebrate this self-implicated day. Long Live Pakistan

dear brother moon, first we are all Muslims, then Pakistanis and then we belong to our native regions or ethnicity. in my opinion it creates a cultural divide and ethnic imbalance, which leads to hatred among fellow Pakistanis. pakistan has many native languages and cultures, by promoting this idea we will start to compete among ourselves rather than we being ONE and compete with rest of the world. Sindhi day, Punjabi day, Balochi day ... Noooo!! we are ONE. don't divide us please. i remember few months ago, it was Sindhi topi day .. cmon.... WAKE up!!

I like ur comments Mr Moon

I completely agree to What Moon said, Kindly understand that we people are living in Sindh and if we celebrate a day for our culture, its a positive sign. But i think that this monoment should be brought to its original position, once the day is celebrated.

I guess what Taimur is saying that its not the cultural day it self but how a national symbol has been used to symbolise one culture, where the Teen Tawlar represents a whole nation of Pakistan. One should feel proud of ones culture and heritage and celebrate it in a revered manner in which all are respected (just a general conduct in performing of a celebratory act). My view as well many others, i assume, is that different cultures be it Sindi, balochi, etc..... all have a right to celebrate it and sybolise it in what ever means. Thus no one has the right to use a symbol intend for one purpose (be it for the Baloch, Seriaki's, Urdu Speaking,etc ,etc....) to be used by another ethnicity. But having said that being part of an entity like Pakistan one has a right and proud of another culture and ethnicity and own to it on the bases of unity in the country. Punjab to Sindh, Pukhtuns to hindko, Baloch to Hazara's and etc etc. The best way to describe this is with the following analogy..... a brother is proud of and celebrates unique characteristics of his brothers so much so that others outside this family admire it and this creates a more beautiful picture (holistically speaking) Only and only when we transcend on this common plain of understanding of; 1-Faith 2-Faith for Unity and 3- Unity for Discipline does the monuments and symbols like Teen talwar or Minaaray Pakistan come into play.

Whats so wrong with giving the Monument a makeover? It may not have been a part of the original plan, but I am sure the creator would have been happy to see it being brought into lime light. I am not an ethnic Sindhi but I see nothing repulsive in that, in fact it makes the monument more attractive.

Well if this is a natoinal monument then we should have dressed it in Pakistani flag only. further more, i dont think the dressing was needed any way>

I don't like your comment because we all are Pakistani not sindhi, balochi, punjabi or pushtoon. If you go abroad they will treat you as a Pakistani not as a Sindhi or with other ethnic background. BTW urdu is the language who bridge the gap between all Pakistanis so you should not drag the Urdu betweem this discussion. Peolpe like you create difference between all Paksitani.

I dont see any thing wrong with this . Its a monument in sindh and can be covered in any colour/design/symbol from province.

We are proud of sindhi culture, basically collectively its a Pakistani Culture, Ajrak and sindhi topi is popular in lower punjab as in sindh. Balochi topi is same as sindhi topi. Pathans feel proud to wear sindhi topi, so how its a regional culture ?. Indus civilization is most richest and oldest civilization in the world, In previous times whole sub continent was sindh, so we are sindhis since 5000 years, Muslims since 1400 years and Pakistani since 67 years. People speaking against cultural day are poor in history.

Ajrak is a national symbol.allan faqeer performed in international events wearing ajrak.I dont see any problem.if we can have separate games for all provinces,why cant we celebrate such events.

I think that the we can celebrate cultural days. No harm in it. But we need to know that first we are humans not punjabi, balochi, sindhi, mohajir, pakhtoon or etc. Yes it would have been better that if the national monument should have been left. Just Imagine if a Pagri or something else is placed on Minare Pakistan or Khyber Pass. @Moon: I agree that every citizen holding Pakistani NIC has equal right (even if he is Afghani from background) but I may correct you that Urdu does not belong to only Urdu speaking. It is a mode of communiaction for the people living in South Asia. Almost all of its words are borrowed from many different regional languages and urdu word is itself borrowed from turkish language. This is the beauty of it.

INSHALLAH. we'll prove again dat our sindh nation is many years old nation.

Disgusting !!!!

No one has stopped them to wear Kurta pajamas... as long as they are happy we are also happy with that... Have we ever raised a question on their wearing a kurta pajama... let us celebrate it with as much freedom as u have here to wear kurta pajamas and urdu :)

Sindh is part of Pakistan so is its culture.,... I wonder y is it shameful to celebrate a culture which is so Pakistani.... Even in developed countries like UK they have separate cultures and they respect them and give them right to celebrate that day... In scottish schools and colleges every year they celebrate a day on which everyone is required to wear a scottish dress (it may seem weird to you that men are wearing skirts but its their culture).... Every developed country and nation is proud of their culture... Destroying your culture means eliminating your own identity.... I wonder y in our country people so proudly wear jeans and find no harm in wearing that but when it comes to ajrak and topi they feel offended... Sindh's has the greatest civilization and we should be proud of that as Egyptians are of their civilization... Sindhi ajrak's history dates back to Moen jo Daro... See the photo of king priest on internet and you will find that he is wearing Ajrak... such a beautiful culture we have and u are asking to be ashamed of promoting that culture... We have no objection if punjab celebrates basant or a pakhtoon celebrates his own cultural day... Sindhi topi day is by no means an attack on urdu language... no one has said a word against urdu or urdu speakings by celebrating sindhi cultural day... y are they feeling threatened then?? They should not... we welcomed them in this great land of Sindh when they had nothing in their hands and even now we are with them.... Their language has flourished in this land of Sindh and so has their culture.... Please don't feel offended... We had always been with urdu language and the people speaking urdu so i request you to please be with us and join us in our happiness and of course help us like we did :) Cheers

Correct but things you mention were not done by a sitting government. The grafitti, the slogans and, if you watch closely, the spits and the urine stains - all are the acts of those that never cared for the nation, its unity or its symbols. The author of this opinion raises a valid point - the focus is neither Sindh nor Sindh's culture - if that were the case then you would not see party flags intertwining with the rest of the theme. And that behavior by a sitting government or a political party will be wrong whether it is done in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar or Islamabad. That said, there are ways to celebrate cultural heritage - it has always been done in Pakistan - from Gilgit to Karachi - and no one has ever objected to it.

Some people have forgotten that Sindhis have history of more then 1000 years Rich culture and heritage and this is not the first time Sindhis are celebrating their culture day. I mean iam amaze to see the reaction the out burst of some Racist have shown.

U r absolutely right. We are only Muslims and Pakistanis.

"Dressing up a national monument in ethnic colours is risky business no matter what the occasion --" Its bad remarks, firsts ajrak is not a ethnic colour/dress. its a national dress of a 'nation' called 'Sindhis" as its "Pugg" to punjabis. Pakistan is made up of at least 4 different nationalities with distinct cultures and traditions and it will be very insensitive to called them as ethnic.

They look so pretty in Ajrak. Lets make that permanent. How about do talwar? Finally something creative and cool done by the government. I fully support such proud displays of culture.

I see no harm in Celebrating like this!! everyone has the right to celebrate its culture in any manner!! is the slogan UNITY FAITH n DISCIPLINE changed to ROTI KAPRA MAKAN NO!!! also, why people like you are silent when MINAR-I-PAKISTAN was used by political rally's? Quaid Mazar used for same purpose!..

Its seems that Sindhi day has taken the attention of non Sindhi's residing in Sindh, I congratulate all the people preparing this day,, i am expecting this kind of reactions from the minorities living in Sindh and more conspiracies because this day will be hard for them to digest, I thank Allah who have given this opportunity to all the Sindhi's to unite because united we stand and divided we fall. Now we should do our best for the poor people of Sindh by building residential societies in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur and bring them in the main stream of our society. i once more congratulate all the Sindhi's brothers and sisters. seeya on Sindhi day at three swords :)

To me, the picture seems to be more amazing than the text of the blog. All three swords (of unity, faith and discipline) are covered in scabbards of Culture, Graffiti 'Unity' is faced with "Allah-o-Akbar", Faith with "Alhamd-o-Lillah" (shows satisfaction on our 'existing' level of faith) and Discipline with "Subhan Allah" (what a disciplined nation we are!). The traffic signal is Red (do not go near these!), above the signal post there is flag of an ethnic party (a RED warning). Coincidently, the picture depicts a true picture of our country. Let Them Celebrate!

Agree with the author

While the author is criticizing the dressing up of the teen talwar in the colors of ajrak he should also note that this monument has gone through all manners of grafitt and slogans written all over it without any regard to its so-called sanctity. And let me ask this: how about the religous phrases scribbled on it for last several years now: (allah- akbar, subhanalla, alhamdollilah . Certainly this was also not in the original plan either. Would he ask for the removal of that ??

Ajrak is sign of Sindhi culture and Sindh is in Pakistan. In other words it is Pakistan's culture. It was shameful that some people after creation of Pakistan (Aug 1947), tried to label Indian cultre as Pakistan's Culture like Jamiluddin Aali. Pakistan's real culture is of Sindh, Balochistan, KP and Punjab. Those who are showing hatred against Ajrak, they are in fact showing their hatred against Sindh and Pakistan as well.

no one is against bro. Author just trying to keep Teen Talwar as it was made for. Author also pointing political parties decoration accessories on Sindh Day. No one is against! Although no legend from Sindh can never allow this act like disturbing traffic or assets of city.

if the amount paid to the contractor for putting up ajrak and the same cloth would have been used to feed the needy persons of the flood who have been forgotten it would have been a far better way of spending money which is the tax payers money instead being used to celebrate days like this. we are in a state of war which we dont realize and have been through the toughest natural clamaties but we fail to realize that alot people are seeking food and shelter instead of national/cultural display. we are not so far distanced from our cultures the way our governments portray it. Their is not fun of fighting on this issue its a time for us to wake up and help those who need our help instead of wasting our energies on Ajrak on national monument

Graffiti and slogans are mostly written by the "night riders" having no value. Draping a National monument with regional colour is quite un-understandable. Who would like to see Minar e Pakistan in any regional colour, absolutely none? I think this was a deliberate mistake which should be avoided in future.

Two wrongs don't make one right.

With due respect to you and all regional sensibilities, you are missing the point being made by the author.

Yasir- So are the non-Muslims first Non-Muslims and then Pakistanis? This type of thinking is exactly what creates situations like the Aasia Bibi case. It automatically writes off Pakistanis who chose to practice other faiths as the "Other" and subsequently subhuman.

Our sindhi culture is the oldest than islam & pakistan

Impressed! let us celebrate it & try to respect others point of view it if dn want to be part of it Sindh Culture is the oldest than pakistan & Islam Initially we born sindhies & then Muslims & then we became pakistani in 1947 We have sindhi, balochi,pakhtoon,& punjabi & everyone has its own & diffrent culture & they love to be recognized with the culture & they all come under one umberella ie Pakistan We all are colors of pakistan

My dear friend,these three talwars, in Clifton-Karachi propagates the message (Unity, Faith and Discipline) of our Quaid(founder of Pakistan) from Karachi to Khyber, is the monument on which we should be proud of. You are absolutely right one should raised objection when this monuments face was distorted by the slogans of different religious and political parties. However based on this one should not criticize the constructive blogs by Taimur Sikandar which emphasize the importance of unity of Pakistan and highlighted the repercussion of this political stunt based on ethnicity. Since two wrongs never make one right, similarly on the same coins the writing on the walls and particularly on the monument should be criticized and deplored with full strength and accordingly the wrong act of covering the monument with Sindhi ajrak has rightly been objected by the blogger because this is the property of Pakistan not the Sindh. So Omar, once again I request you not answer the criticism in the manner as the current govt is providing that is by passing the bug to the past govt or someone else shoulder.

I am from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and I don't see anything wrong in the people of Sind celebrating Sindi culture. It's part of what makes Pakistan special. In fact everyone who has settled in Sind should take an effort to appreciate the beauty of the province too. This includes people who have migrated to Karachi from Peshawar, FATA and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Dear Sial, You are getting it all wrong and you are conveying it with thorny emotions. As Pakistani, as a new Sindhi I love Pakistan and Sindh where I love to live and which will probably be my last resting place. When we talk about National Monument we talk about the inspirations of the entire populations of Pakistan. It would have been much better to avoid such controversial action as draping Teen Talwar in Ajrak which is Ofcourse a very respectable identity of Sindh.

right no issue as such, but a valid point on the teen talwar......

Easy to drag religion into every tiny thing...a legitimate reason for every thing...that's the mentality that keeps our country from going further... The author is simply pointing out the paradox in dressing up a symbol of unity of all cultures in the country as a representative of the Sindhi culture only!!! It time we quit making religion the refuge for every act of ours - to refrain from any logical thinking on that topic; all this till it supports our view point!!!

We should proud of Sindhi culture basically its a Pakistani Culture, Sindhi topi and Ajrak are popular in lower Punjab as in Sindh, Balochi topi is same as Sindhi topi and Pathans wear sindhi topi with proud. If we look at the history Hindustani culture also originate from Sindh. Sindh was oldest name of whole sub continent. We are sindhis since 5000 years, Muslims since 1400 years and Pakistanis since 67 years. People against the cultural day are weak in history.

I support cultural displays, but I also agree with the point the author is trying to make. Dressing up a national monument as a Sindhi monument is as wrong as dressing it up as a Punjabi/Balochi/Pashtun monument. Should 'national culture' be synonymous with any one ethnicity's culture? Shouldn't it encompass all people? "Ek parcham ke saye talay hum aik hain." But I do think the politicians realize exactly what they're doing; it provides them an easy platform and lots of votes. They know just how to manipulate people. (Explains all the party flags nearby.)

I do not think so....they are looking ugly. Although I dont have any problem with Ajrak but this is not looking asthetically appropriate. There could have been a more creative idea if gov. wanted to do that...

I'm from Karachi, and I agree with your views.. Proud to hail from Sindh PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN.. But cannot tolerate such ideas of Sindhi Nation Day or something. We have a Pakistan Day and Independence Day. THAT'S ALL WHAT IS IMPORTANT. NOTHING ELSE.. PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!!!

I loved and respecting your views MOON. Jeeay Sindh ... Jeay Sindhi Culture... who, do not like this may leave sindh..( and Karachi is pulsive part of Sindh... dont create atmosphere by showing sindh as Interior Sindh ... and Karachi as exterior of sindh....what a absurd perspective)

I noticed the atrocity last night when I was driving home from work. My jaw literally dropped and I blinked several times, unable or probably unwilling to believe what seemed like a terrible joke. It was bad enough that the monument has been tarnished with religious slogans. Why must we wreck every decent thing left in this city??

We are just pakistanis and not sindhi pujabi and baclochi... I am staying in Dubai ... despite of different shaikhs of all cities like dubai sharjah .. all celebrate one independence day which is on December 2nd .. no one celebrates independence day according to their cultural values.. I can see just one flag.. not like pakistan where except for 14th august we have never seen pakistan;s flag and its the political parties who have their flags on ... pakistan has almost lost in the colors of other flags; there is no national identity but it its more of provincial.

Being a Punajbi, I don't think of 'teen talwar' as a 'national symbol'. I do agree that it is beautiful but it is a Karachi phenomenon, in particular, and Sindh, in general. While the writer has a right to hold his opinion, putting restrictions at that level are not supportive of provincial autonomy. However, doing the same with the Quaid-e-Azam's musoleum would be questionable. Festooning the city with PPP flags IS quite objectionable. Would they also include the flags of ANP and MQM and those of all other parties present in Sindh? Are they not Sindhis? Is PPP only Sindhi and not national? BTW, the 'teen talwar' does look pretty in ajrak, but only for a limited time and then it should revert to its original look.

ofcourse we are muslim and pakistani . after pakistani we have different nation. it's fact we are not together in pakistan beacuse every nation have own problems. If we follow islam INSHALLAH we'll not face these types of activites.

I love this. I absolutely love this. We are all living in Sindh, so what if we celebrate a Sindhi cultural day. We should be proud of this. I understand this could cause rage amongst people but this has a great significance for me. I dont remember anything like this happening throughout my life. I thought my mother tongue had no significance. I feel so proud. Rest assure this does not imply my support for Zardari by any chance. In my opinion this should be celebrated for every province. What is so bad about it? This makes us realize our country is not just made up off udru speaking people but, its a combination off people speaking different languages and belonging to different ethnicity. It develops a sense of belonging. It is a reminder for all those overlook the importance of Sindh ( or any other province or that matter) WHY is it a DISGRACE? explain please.

Come On People.. take a break.. it is temporary and acknowledging the wonderful Sindhi Culture. Here in New York, the Empire State Building changes its lights for ocassions. This Ramadan they lighten the Empire State Building Green to celebrate the Holy Month. Noone oppossed it but the racists...So don't be one and let the people have few moments of love, peace and harmony. I do agree with the party flags should not be placed all over in the city. They are eye sores and make the city look ugly.

I hope the Sindhi speaking people realize that the Sindhi culture is only observed in the poor, uneducated, and rural areas of Sindh. In the urban areas, such as Karachi and Hyderabad, it is widely rejected, and the Mahajir inhabitants have their own "hindustani" culture, comprising of kurta pajamas etc., so I do not understand what this whole "Sindhi Culture Day" is all about.

We are all first Muslims then Pakistani and then whatever culture we belong to. There is nothing wrong in celebrating our cultural heritage. In fact we should all learn to respect each others cultures and embrace it and not let it be a reason of divide. The problem happens when some of us put our cultures above anything else. putting Ajrak on Teen Talwar can be considered risky business but then again if its only done to celebrate sindhi culture and is removed promptly I dont see any harm in that but personally I think care should have been taken to avoid a symbol that symbolizes Quaid's famous words "Unity Faith and Discipline".

I can see the point in saying that Ajrak is an ethnic symbol. But on the other hand Pakistan is collection of ethnicities and interestingly same Ajrak is shown at international fairs as Pakistani culture. So may be it is not such a brazen display of ethnicity as writer is trying to suggest. Above all the prmise that this monument is national, is shaky at best.

@ bilal sultan if philanthrophy is on your mind,then i guess we should not waste money on any event,be it sindh day,basant,independence day.rather we should divert f

Thats great and i appreciate ur comments.

dear sir

In a free democratic country We are first humans, then Pakistanis, then Muslims and then sindhis, punjabis etc...in that order

Today, while returning from a meeting, my colleague and I noticed this looming obnoxious 'cover-up'. I absolutely agree with your observation. This is equivalent to disfigurement of our national monument and I feel disgusted. Further yet, I told my friend that this can also be interpreted as

Excellent point! But I don't think our politicians are far sighted enough to understand the consequences of some of their actions!

What a disgrace!

I think it was a creative way for our Sindhi brothers to express their culture. This should be appreciated and not blown out ot proportion and given an unwanted sectretarian color. These were people out expressing themselves and nothing else. Please stop being paranoid over small things. definately no national symbol is involved here not even religious so let it go for once.

well .... its this way that i dont agree with author ... it seems the way it has been put is in-correct.... infact i think it should have been that all cultural days (all 4 provinces) should give the monument a make over .... and we all should celebrate each other day with Pride ... we should make them feel its there day as we do in our normal life for birth days ... that is how we become family ...... this makes me think why do we always and i mean always take a scared stepp of assesing actions of others ..... do we try to be carefull?? .... why are we loosing such trust for each other and morals that we assess each others step in wrong way .... i think its an extra stress and wrong (distructive) thinking on our part where as rest of world does not show it to us ... what i beleive is to celebrate each others identity like family .... be there to assist .... and discourage if some one tells us story at some one's back ... and specially ..... work towards progress and welfareness of this family ...

Hi nisar, No one here is pointing out SIND cultural day. Actually you should celeberate it with as much zeal and pride as possible my friend. We all are with you all. Only thing which is being pointed out is National Monument which represents the values for all of us and none owns it separatley to him self. We all own it and should be shared. Thats the messege engraved on it as well. Hope you understand the point being brought up. Happy SIND day ! Afridi

worth words bro, the whole sindh including Karachi should be covered with ajraks..

I love u my mother land Sindh I love you my mother tongue Sindhi And I love you my dress Ajrak, Topi, Susi, Bandhno I love my country Pakistan And I love every culture associated with my country These are just the different flavours of my country I Love it... 3 swords have never looked so beautiful before this What a beautiful idea and what a beautiful chaadar

Sial sahab I wish you showed the same love for Urdu. As a reminder, the national language of Pakistan.

in order of precedence. muslim, pakistani, and lastly provincialism. remember when prophet muhammad pbuh went to medina he brought together the 2 tribes of medina, ie aus and khasraj who had been fighting for years amongst themselves for years. why cant we do the same in our beautiful country pakistan. why cant we come together and be muslim brothers.

I fully agree with Mr. Noor's views expressed above. All Pakistanis are proud of Sindhi heritage. Diversity of Pakistan is to be celebrated NOT feared. Diversity is our strength NOT weakness. We are proud of all our provinces, ethnic groupes, cultures and histories. It is about time we grew up.

@Khaskheli....the celebration of this cultural day has nothing to do with minorities.its just the cultural celebration of a dynasty whose inceptoin dates back to centuries.dont take it in the sense that its a celebration of a province it just belongs to sindhis and thats why ajrak is appropriate way to portray this culture.please do understand the difference between a province and a culture.

Mr Author, u r missing the point here, pakistan is a federation of provinces inhabiting different ethnolinguistic people havn their own culture. If this teen talwar is been decorated what's the harm in it, where does it signify unity faith n discipline? if these talwars stand for those 3 things, wat r ur views about the do talwar monument that we have? wat does that signify? unity n faith? n where's the discipline then?

I fully agree with Mr. Kamran Ali's views. Negative or suspicious thinking conflicts with the national or communal unity. Let all of us living in Sindh celebrate on December 4, the Sindh

for all those who bombard me replies that these do show faith unity n discipline, i meant 'signify', not show hope that does clarify...

It looks great. I don't see Sindhi and the Pakistani cultures exclusive of each other! There is as much Sindh in Pakistan, as there is Pakistan in Sindh. If you call Sherwani and the Jinnah Cap as "national" and "Ajrak" as region, then you really need to learn the basics of Pakistan's cultural composition. Sherwani is the culture of Urdu speaking Pakistanis and Ajrak is that of Sindhi speaking Pakistanis. The writer needs to look at regional cultures as national cultures. People, not buildings and monuments, are important. If wrapping the "talwars" - which symbolizes violence and bloodshed, can make an entire province of Pakistan happy, the others should not have heartaches! We need to be intellectually humble and culturally generous!

whats wrong in celebrating sindhi day. sindh is the oldest and was the most advanced civilzation mankind has ever known. we are humans, then sindhis, then muslims and then pakistanis..in that order.

Isn't our country already feeling the pain of division that we have to drape our national monuments with regional bureaucracy?

Well, I agree with the author. This monument is 'white' to signify what it is meant for and I would never want to see that significance dying. Please remove that from the symbol of unity, peace and discipline. That was really funny; "Aesthetically speaking, if anyone has had the opportunity to pass by the

Ajrak is not a Political Symbol, and i think every person belonging to any ethnic community wears the ajrak proudly , it has roots in ,Sindh , southern punjab and balochistan even its one of the oldest artifacts of this region (moen jo daro times). its good to decorate the city on such occasions with such cultural symbols (Obviously for 1,2 days) rather than political symbols and slogans. i-e PIA Planes are also painted to show the cultural flavor of the nation and its always great to see that.

to line the street with Party flags I find it wrong...but i don't find any thing wrong, what ever has happened to teen talwar or do talwar.... Lets say, a house where different people live, if one of them celebrates birthday and put balloons on walls, no one really has a problem, though every one have fun, even architect of that house never thought that this wall will have balloons some day..... and this is not the first time what has happened to teen talwar.. A lot of times I have seen posters and other parties's flags over there......

Agreed!

Dude, Everyone who lives in Sindh is Sindhi and even i stay in punjab for an hour, I am a punjabi and thats what we should believe.

I totally agree with Gentleman Bilal.However, while converging all the loose ends of this topic i would conclude that being a police Advisor working with the United Nations in these days i would present a instance that during formal Pakistan Medal Parade we offered honoured guests(all were of UK & EUROPE) Ajraks & Sindhi caps which they not not only received with great fervour & enthusiasm but they weared them with proud.If they have no problems why we are making hurdles & impediments in spreading our culture which is in dilapidated condition.

Agreed with Brother Tahir Rizvi!

Amen to that. Spoken like a true, sinsible, Pakistani. I support the promotion of Sindhi culture along with all other cultures in Pakistan. This is what gives rise to the "Pakistani Culture", an amalgam of all regional-cultures.

this teen talwar is in sindh and agrak is also a part of sindhi culture so whats the problem with u people its ovr sindh we have the right to do what ever we want to do it looks more beautiful with colors rahter then white

@ Kamran,,, do you understand what you have written? its just the cultural celebration of a dynasty whose inceptoin dates back to centuries. well its time for you, the author and so called learned people to understand.

And we should ALSo be proud of our religious minorities!

I agree

Well said Hina, i agree with u on the same line..i would add to it that national integration lies in unity of all peoples among provinces..lets go ahead what Hina said that if every pakistani culture is celebrated on the same lines then wouldnt it create harmony peace and liberty of culture tradition and love for the land..national monument does have a message and this message is of unity among the people of sindh..if we goes this way with every province then Lahore can celebrate the culture in minar - e - pakistan..so please stop this kind of hatred among the people of sindh and give a message of peace and love for the land..

I think we should ignore such small, things like someone put Ajrak or ADRAK on talwar or on ground. We should struggle to improve our self, in all aspects of life, education, hooqul-al-abad, humanitarian and religion. Our writters are the one who can take us back from dark not to put us back into dark.

I agree that it is our cultural heritage, and I would apprecitate the act of celebrating a day in respect of Ajrak. but do it in a sensible. Not by oppressing others and putting your name everywhere. Have respect of these national Identities, people are emotionally connected to these monuments. these monuments refreshes our sense of Patriotism for Pakistan. and they r playing with these monuments like wallpapr of their room. I will end up saying that its looking good but not for more than a day. It should be removed. Pakistan Zindabad

If you ever stood for the President, you will have my vote.

God forbid!

I second your thoughts.

Because Pakistan is NOT just for Muslims. Can we not once just say Pakistanis United without any reference to the religion at all. Or am I just dreaming?

Mr. Anwar Khan and Mr. Abid Ghufran, no Pakistan is NOT just Sindh. You did not get the actual point of the article. Teen talwar is all about Unity Faith Discipline so just because its a visible round-about, the authorities DO NOT have the God gifted right to put up an ethnic symbol on it. And you also missed the writer's point of displaying People's Party flags on Sindh day.

These things are symbolic and do have a deep meaning so one cannot ignore them. In Democracy everyone should have a right to say, write and speak about anything. But when the Provincial Govt. decides to use a "national symbol" for a political and provincial interest, it is NOT democracy.

The Sindh Culture Day is celebrated by major portion of the population. Is basant celebrated by substantial numbers of our population? We should not lose our sense of proportion. Inserting hypothetical questions into a genuine situation does not help. It creates confusion, tension, and misunderstanding.

Noor, You missed the part in which the writer mentioned displaying Party flags on that day. Is that in "national spirit"?

I Fully agree with you.

I find myself in agreement of all three foregoing comments that reflect a true spirit which should literally be practiced by all segments in Pakistan. It is time for the youth, the young generation to begin work along these lines to erase all the differences of various ethnic backgrounds in Pakistan and learn to be able to appreciate so much positive that each has to offer. If our youth takes charge and initiates such a drive to foster each other and grow up to celebrate each other among the many ethnic backgrounds and to regard and respect each other's faith and belief no power in the world would be able to undermine our beautiful country or it's people. Hey "People" hey dear fellow country men say no to capitalizing on differences and divides and regard each other for what we may be rather than pointing fingers and showing down each other, the time is now and the need is dire. Love each other for whatever they may be. Long live Pakistan.

Indeed there is nothing wrong with celebrating Sindhi day and I can challenge anyone to come up with one single reason to not celebrate this day. Sindhis have contributed to Pakistan a great deal if I began to count, how many here know Mr. Abdul Wahid Sindhi who authored so many urdu text books that were adopted throughout as part of teaching curriculum in our schools? How many here knows Mr. Pir Mohammed Rashidi who used to pen a weekly feature in the prominent Urdu daily's Sunday editions? If we began to count the accomplished modest and well educated Sindhis this space would not be able to accommodate that many names. Now don't get me wrong but if you look at the life of just these two prominent Sindhi authors from the recent past they were tolerant enough to have spent their lives among many prominent well learned and well accomplished people of other ethnic backgrounds without having to show them down every day in order to achieve their own accomplishments. From a learned point of view we should give up capitalizing on factors that drive us apart and drive a wedge amongst us as it is to no one's advantage. There are good, bad and ugly in all the people but lets look for all the good ones to take up the mission to overcome our differences and unite like one nation. May Allsh SWT help our nation overcome ethnic differences and divides and to co-exist with tolerance for each other as this is the only path that will lead to the success of entire nation of Pakistan. Thank you

The fact of the matter is that, they are happy, YES, but why are some unhappy in the way they reflect upon this celebration? Why don't we began to think constructively and have other events to celebrate other cultures of our country similarly, why don't we learn to value each other instead of mud-slinging. Should another cultural group or ethnicity celebrate to honor their culture there should be no objections and following the currently adopted tradition others should also be allowed to express their love and honor of their culture &/or ethnicity while everyone should part-take in honoring the others. Doesn't anyone think that if such is adopted in celebrating other cultures with regard and respect it offers a good opportunity for harmony across the board? As far as the author's point of view is concerned it is his observation while everyone in a free nation should be allowed the right to freedom of expression, just like decorating the 3-talwar to celebrate is an act of Freedom of Expression. People learn to respect each other, give up negativity and live in peace and harmony admiring each other, give up the past which has given an unnecessary rise to introduction of politics in no matter what anyone wishes to do or does. I congratulate my Sindhi brothers on their day and request them to fore-go and forebear any criticism that is expressed by other counter parts at this occasion, and to come forth and equally participate in celebrating the culture of other cohabitants, regardless of the cultural background, ethnicity or or language they speak, they are all Pakistanis and your fellow countrymen and should be forgiven for the uncalled for and immature political awareness and introduction of political innuendos in each and every matter. Be a responsible citizen of Pakistan and remain one with full pride for your background. Jeeway, Jeeway, jeeway-Pakistan.

well, all the criticism is based on misunderstandings. true there should not be flags of parties around a national monument..but what is wrong in anyone's culture? Can we close the national monuments and national parks on provincial days? is basant not celebrated on Minar-e-Pakistan, u will find kites everywhere near minar-e-Pakistan. unity of nation does not mean to curb the individual and ethnic cultural freedom. The problem is not in being a muslim and pakistani and celebrating ethnic days.. the problem is in not tolerating each other..

I have to agree with the writer. The Teen Talwar look bad with this silly display of showing Sindi art on a national monument. Take that money and ajrak and give it to those that do not even have clothes to wear. Or take that money and give it to Ehdi. The Sind government has crossed the line showing Sindhi culture with this display and idea. Lets hope it comes off soon and does not do damage to the structure.

I think it is high time that we should start realizing that there are more things tearing us apart than bringing us together. What is the big issue with covering it with Ajarak? It is part of the many cultures and traditions of our country. We being Pakistanis are part of every one of them. Ajarak does not symbolize any political party or any other faction of the society. It represents the richness within the culture of one of the provinces of Pakistan, Sindh. I am from Karachi and my father migrated from India at the time of separation. He came to Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. I strongly against the writers view. It is our Pakistan and every bit of it.

well said aaamir!!!!

Kite flying is universal and is not confined to basant. Unity-faith-discipline is for all Pakistanis, it is a motto given by the Great Quaid.. It is insult to paint the monument on ethnic grounds. I see no harm in banners if Pakistan flag is hoisted at a higher level. Instead of playing such games our efforts should be to provide food, clothing's and a roof. It is important rather then muddying an event.

I am totally agreed with Bilal and GM Bughio.. There is no harm in decorating teen talwar with Ajrak as it doesnt show any symbol of political party.. But only problem is the way people celebrate it. They just take out their party flags on the street and show to ppl how dedicated they are with their party..

There is nothing wrong in Ajrak Sindh is Pakistan and Pakistan is Sindh. No issue. This is the real Pakistani culture and we should not call is ethnic. Ajrak has nothing against anyone. I belong to Sindh but I am not Sindhi Speaking its OK. Sindh has loved every one and everyone should love Sindh.

How about covering Minar-e-Pakistan with yellow for basant?