Equality?

Byline: Shahmir Khan Ghani

Amidst th recent global outcry against the injustices faced by the black community for centuries, many nations have shown solidarity with the Black Lives Matter campaign and have systematically come together to demand an end to racism. It is truly a momentous occasion in history, one occurring simultaneously with another momentous occasion in history. Both have called on humanity to fight, but unlike the latter which discriminates on no basis of colour, ethnicity, religion or gender, the former is solely concentrated towards the exploitation and oppression of a particular race.

Like many others, Pakistanis too have shown their support for the lives of black individuals around the world. We have also called for an end to oppression, and the empathy we have shown as a united people is admirable. How true our endorsement, however, is another matter altogether. This is a matter I wish to bring our attention to. Discrimination exists the world over, whether it be in one form or another. Pakistan is no exception to this. While we may not have a history of overt oppression towards people of colour, we have time and time again, shown our intolerance, and have discriminated against people of different religions, ethnicities, and have blatantly refused gender equality.

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That is not to say that all of us are guilty of such an act of bias, certainly not, but as it is a prevailing concern in a country where minorities live in fear and isolation, it is definitely something which the majority is guilty of. Let us first consider the issue of ethnicities. In Pakistan, there exist a number of different ethnicities, the most recognisable of which include the Punjabis, the Pashtuns, Sindhis, Saraikis, Mujahirs and Baloch. Among these ethnicities, there are further divisions of castes. Castes have long held great importance in matters of identity, with one caste often believing itself to be superior to another. These castes may clash on the basis of their identity and have traditionally chosen not to intermingle with one another. The baradari concept supersedes all other factors in matters such as those of marriage, business, and others. If one does not belong to either the same ethnicity or caste, all relations take on a forbidden nature and are often condemned.

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Let us move to the issue of gender. In the patriarchal...

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