Hindu-Muslim tussle in Sindh

By Rameez Mahesar,
If we dive into the history of wars wagged among nations, we find Hindu-Muslim tussle based on cultural, religious, socio-economic grounds as well on the rise. Number of movements driven, press bans and derogatory writings are witnessed in this respect. But the onset of every tussle takes side of Hindus.
Recently, I was reading an old thesis in Sindhi language prepared by Dr. Aziz-ur-Rahman Bughio by the year of 1988 and found a number of proofs – the book has cited – presented by the newspapers in the days of yore. The author has cited a number of pieces written by Hindus against Muslims in the newspapers of that distant time. He says Hindu writers have left always no stone unturned to use their pens against Muslims. To prove this, he has cited also a proof from a Sindhi to English dictionary penned by a Hindu writer Mr. Parmanand Mewaram. He says, Mr. Parmanand Mewaram in his dictionary, has declared “Muslim” as a meaning of “Jatt” (in Sindhi), “Jahil” (in Urdu). Jahil is on my personal behalf to make Urdu people demystify. Both of the terms are used as vituperative utterance in Urdu and Sindhi languages. The dictionary is published by Sindhology institute of Sindh University, Jamhsoro which is also available there in research libraries.
The top-notch question is; how did Hindu-Muslim tussle raise its gruesome face? Thesis also secures the answer as reason behind the various fights wagged between both the nations to this hanging question.
“It was March, 1927, when a Muslim lady hailing from Gerelo village in the city of Larkana namely kareema, with her four children, was fallen in love with a Hindu person (name is not given in the book). After a couple of days, she escaped her home, along with her children, with the person she was fallen in love with. When hues and cries rose, Muslims put themselves at pains to find out the lady and back it to her home. But their struggle to find and get the lady back put them in the trouble in back. Hindus started blaming the Muslims to say that the Muslims enter their homes forcefully and harass their women. These blames sent the Muslims into jails.
Muslims faced the music throughout a year in the jails. After a hard time of minting hefty amount of money, they brought a costly English lawyer to crack their issue and fight their case. At last, when an English session judge Mr. D_R Norman found Muslims above suspicion, he issued his verdict to release Muslims from jails. (Judgement of Norman (March 14, 1928) Case no. 84, 1927). The Muslims zipped their lips but they kept their anger burning. It is said in the thesis, the lady was never got back and still no one knows where was she put out of sight”.
This was the first and biggest reason behind Hindu-Muslim tussle which was rose from Larkana and then from Sukkur the different conflicts rose. A woman, in general, can be put in front of the string of causes which can compel the communities and nations towards wars to be wagged.
Secondly, Sindh Pact was a reason behind dichotomy of fracas between both nations. Rule and regulation were welcomed by Hindus and Muslims to accept separate elections in Lacknow on 1916. Although, Hindus, after that, demanded Sindh’s separation. When they could not fulfill their reverie towards Sindh separation, they declined to accept the offer of separate elections but Muslim accepted.
In contrast, Muslims also declined to accept Nehru Report in 1928 in that Hindus were to aggravate the influence of Muslims in the provinces of minority and even they were also to convert the Muslim majority into minority in the provinces in which they were in majority. That’s why; opposition party joined All India Muslim Conference. All India Opposition Conference was held in Ajmer around 1932. It was offered in the conference that Muslims were ready to accept the election but Hindus must accept majority of Muslims as per laws and regulations, but Hindus given wide berth to accept that offer.
It is always a high time to crack the issues hanging between both the nations since a long time. Fracas has always been raised by Hindus through their press, writings, strategies, speeches, actions and decisions, but Muslims are invariably found peaceful. Muslims always accept the decisions but Hindus beat about the bushes. Whatever the pacts and agreements have hitherto been developed from the distant past have always been accepted by Muslims but from Hindu side, declines have been prevailing.

Writer is a Teaching Assistant at the School of Media Studies
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shaheed Benazirabad
He can be reached [email protected]