Clearing the air on Pakistani Sikhs

[FKPcamper]

I am married to a sikh girl who immigrated with her parents from Pakistan in the early 80s. Noticed a lot of back and forth on Pak Hindus and Sikhs so thought i'd offer my (her) 2 cents.

1) Pressure to Convert - This most DEFINITELY exists. It is lesser in the metros and even lesser in wealthier/more educated circles but it is prevalant.

2) Allegiance to Pakistan - This tends to be a factor of their success. If one is a successful business man etc, one tends to look more favourably upon the incumbent race/religion/political party.

3) Hate/Dislike for India - This is false. While most were and still are upset by Indira Gandhi's actions, there is generally no hate or disdain for India. It is also universally acknowledged by the community as the more tolerant of the 2 nations. An anectodal example is that they observed how no Sikh has ever been asked/pressured/forced to convert into Hinduism based on all the trips they have made to India.

just hoping to clear the air here. Bottom line is that they dont hate Pakistan/is or India/ns but generally acknowledge a higher degree of tolerance and religious freedom in India.

comments, experiences, feedback welcome

 

[Adnan Faruqi]

Bhai why start such threads?? It gonna be a feast for trolls.

 

[FKPcamper]

interested in seeing some responses I suppose... after all, it is a first hand account i am providing.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

I am married to a sikh girl who immigrated with her parents from Pakistan in the early 80s. Noticed a lot of back and forth on Pak Hindus and Sikhs so thought i'd offer my (her) 2 cents.

1) Pressure to Convert - This most DEFINITELY exists. It is lesser in the metros and even lesser in wealthier/more educated circles but it is prevalant.

2) Allegiance to Pakistan - This tends to be a factor of their success. If one is a successful business man etc, one tends to look more favourably upon the incumbent race/religion/political party.

3) Hate/Dislike for India - This is false. While most were and still are upset by Indira Gandhi's actions, there is generally no hate or disdain for India. It is also universally acknowledged by the community as the more tolerant of the 2 nations. An anectodal example is that they observed how no Sikh has ever been asked/pressured/forced to convert into Hinduism based on all the trips they have made to India.

just hoping to clear the air here. Bottom line is that they dont hate Pakistan/is or India/ns but generally acknowledge a higher degree of tolerance and religious freedom in India.

comments, experiences, feedback welcome

Will not like to comment on your (and her) feelings. Sikhs are an amazingly resilient and enterprising people in whichever part of the world they may be. And speaking from personal experience, that applies to Sikhs in Singapore as well. And obviously in Pakistan too, I am sure that they may have made/are making a positive contribution in Pakistan too.

Just one thing though; notwithstanding any political campaign that was run in the name of the Sikh faith, Sikhs have been considered with great respect by the Hindu community even as defenders of Hindus.

Otherwise Politics is a peculiar phenomenon. It can pollute anything.

 

[Doctor09]

i can give you lot of example in which sikhs are in lot worse position in India than in Pakistan and i can give you many examples in which Pakistani sikhs love Pakistan and hate India and many more ....... and many interviews of Indian Sikhs travelling to Pakistan every year and how they share their good experiences in Pakistan

 

[Rafi]

My brother is married to an indian Sikh girl, who's family has suffered tremendously because of the operations in Punjab, her relatives were killed and tortured by the indian security forces.

 

[T90TankGuy]

i can give you lot of example in which sikhs are in lot worse position in India than in Pakistan and i can give you many examples in which Pakistani sikhs love Pakistan and hate India and many more ....... and many interviews of Indian Sikhs travelling to Pakistan every year and how they share their good experiences in Pakistan

would you mind giving us these so called examples ?
from verifiable sources of course .

 

[Doctor09]

would you mind giving us these so called examples ?
from verifiable sources of course .

Example number 1 :

 

[Doctor09]

Example no. 2

 

[Doctor09]

Example no. 3

---------- Post added at 02:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:37 PM ----------

Example no. 3

 

[FKPcamper]

My brother is married to an indian Sikh girl, who's family has suffered tremendously because of the operations in Punjab, her relatives were killed and tortured by the indian security forces.

really? what year was this and do you mind me asking where exactly?

 

[53fd]

FKPcamper, what you have written is purely what you have experienced on a personal level. I have a Pakistani father & an Indian mother (who surrendered her Indian citizenship when she married my Dad in Pakistan), & family in both Pakistan & India. I've been to India a few times as well. I think Pakistani & Indian societies are very similar. This is my assessment of Indian & Pakistani society:

1) India overall is a more liberal country than Pakistan, Pakistan is conservative.

2) Opportunities to excel in all walks of life for minorities are similar in both countries. Contrary to common belief, minorities in Pakistan are involved in all fields of life in Pakistan, & the only thing they can't be is the PM/President of the country, they can be anything else they want to. Their involvement in Pakistani affairs is quiet, but significant.

3) I feel minorities (& their places of worship) in Pakistan are given better protection than the minorities in India, & there is less bias of LEA against minorities in Pakistan. The security problems Muslims in Pakistan have faced are greater than what minorities in Pakistan have faced.

4) In Pakistan, some religious minorities (especially poor people) might want to keep their distance from the majority Muslims. In India, it is similar as well to an extent. There is a better understanding of minorities in India though, than of minorities in Pakistan, partly because minorities in Pakistan like to keep their distance from the majority, & live peacefully. There are poor minority neighborhoods in both Pakistan & India. But in Pakistan, the poor people live in poor neighborhoods, regardless of religion. Minorities never manage to have problems finding housing in Pakistan based on their religions, which even rich minority people in India do, just because of their religion.

5) In India, while there is a general acceptance of diversity, there is also a "secular Indian-ness" that is expected on some levels. The overly religious people in India can sometimes be perceived wrongly in India, & people might not think they are patriotic enough. In Pakistan, such diversity is not accepted (unless you're in Karachi, or Islamabad to a lesser extent), so if minorities want to remain "closed off" from the majority in Pakistan, they are free to do so peacefully. We do not suspect any of our citizens regardless of religion to be a spy or something.

 

[FKPcamper]

no offense but i tend to discount examples of sikhs/hindus in pakistan army/police. The same way i discount examples of a muslim in a high position in politics/defense.

You cannot rule out vested interest. In the cases that you have illustrated, it is in both parties interests to talk favourably about one another.

The sikh will pledge undying allegiance to pakistan and join the army so that his family never faces any trouble.
Its also an excellent pr campaign for the pak army

same goes for the police.

and i apply these views to India too.

what is glaringly noticeable however, is the lack of minorities in business/professional fields. Maybe i am missing something ? please show me if so

 

[Doctor09]

Example no.4:

 

[53fd]