The problem lies with the mind-set of the society as a whole. Pakistan that I grew up in was as different from Pakistan of today that as apples are from oranges. It has to be understood that Pakistan may have been made in the name of Islam but the national flag contains a white portion; 25% of the size of the flag; representing the minorities. This means that minorities are an essential part of Pakistan as she was originally conceived.
http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/flagspec.html
Initial trouble started with the Objectives Resolution which was adopted after the Quaid has passed away. Later Maulna Maudoodi, who was against the creation of Pakistan; started the Anti-Ahmadi riots of 1954. ZA Bhutto instituted the Islamization laws but this act neither saved his gov’t nor his life. The bigot Zia, being a member of the Jamaat Islami himself, spread the poison of sectarianism. The problem got worse with the rise of Khomeini in Iran and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
Arguably some Shia are also as sectarian and as the worst of the Wahabis. However the root of the problem remains that since the advent of the Zia era, Pakistan society in general has become intolerant, ruthless and blood thirsty. This is evident from that fact that even though Salman Taseer never insulted our holy Prophet (PBUH) nor was he ever accused of blasphemy but his killer Mumtaz Qadri; who was supposed to be his guard; is considered a “Martyr” by a large section of society and people write ‘Rahmatullah alaih’ after his name as a reward for the brutal act of killing in cold blood. Are such killers our heroes now?
Shaykh-e-Karim At The Shrine Of Hazrat Mumtaz Qadri Sahib(R.A ...
I have my deepest sympathy for the victims of Parachinaar, but let us be honest what good ‘Dharna’ can do. Terrorists will strike somewhere else and some other innocent Pakistanis will die. The people killed in Quetta and in Karachi around the same time were not Shia but the lost their life all the same.
My lament is for Pakistan as a whole. I would hate to see Pakistan become a theocratic state. Instead I would like to see my country where no one is killed because of his religious belief or ethnicity and every one regardless of his social status is treated equally. Where no out & out pro extremist mullah like that of the Lal Masjid is allowed to continue spreading his extremist poison in the name of Islam and where society as a whole understands that providing help to the extremist elements (Shia or Wahhabi or Sunni) is a crime against humanity.
I sincerely hope that those who love Pakistan as much as I do would have similar desire.