The sad story of discrimination against minorities in Sindh

Dear Chief Minister Sindh,

Discriminatory advertisements.

For non-Muslims, the possibility of Covid-19 is a minor misery as compared to the  unending pandemic of discrimination they must suffer each day. They find it difficult to breathe, not for the lack of oxygen, but for the indignity, disgust and disrespect regularly spewed at them by the national newspapers.

Only in the last two weeks of May 2021, at least six organisations of the Sindh Government placed highly derogatory and insulting newspaper ads that placed no restriction of ‘religion’ on any of the scores of advertised posts, but limited  the lowest jobs of Sanitary Workers to Non-Muslims only.  The ads sadly reflect an official policy of discrimination towards non-Muslims, which is socially, ethically, legally  and constitutionally an unacceptable and  repugnant practice.

The organisations that placed these discriminatory ads are District Health Officer Jamshoro,  Services Hospital Hyderabad, Para Medical Institute Nawabshah, Medical College Civil Hospital Khairpur  and Peoples Medical College Hospital Benazirabad.   Ironically, the hospital named after a non-Muslim, i.e. Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfaw  Civil Hospital Karachi  also advertised 93 posts of sanitary workers –  for “Non-Muslims only”.

As citizens of Pakistan, we feel deeply ashamed at this blatant discrimination towards our non-Muslim fellow citizens.  After all there are no ads for the jobs of Chief  Executives or Director Generals that state, “For non-Muslims only”. So why these double standards for the lowest posts of sanitary workers.

The uninterrupted appearance of such ads at regular intervals suggests as if discrimination towards minorities has been formally adopted as the official policy of the state.   Can one request you  to kindly take notice, withdraw all these derogatory ads and issue a policy statement to put an end to religious discrimination and bias in all ads and selection processes.

We live in a cruel world.  But can you not be sensitive and kind enough to at least do,  what lies within your domain, to make it less cruel, more equal and more humane for all citizens of Pakistan.

Naeem Sadiq