WHILE the federal government is correct in criticising the opposition for holding rallies which are in violation of coronavirus SOPs, it is somewhat strange that the government itself is behaving no differently. A case in point is the recent hosting of Diwali and other events by the Ministry for Religious Affairs and the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), facilitating huge crowds in Nankana Sahab and elsewhere without bothering about the SOPs.

More than 5,000 devotees of the Sikh community gathered to for three-day celebrations of the 551st birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. The celebrations at Nankana Sahab were attended by officials of the federal government, including the federal minister for religious affairs and NCM chairman. The Sindh governor, likewise, attended Diwali celebrations.

It is a house in disorder, unfortunately.

Sukhdev A. Hemnani
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2020