With hundreds of Hindus and Christians killed and thousands more attacked and wounded, violence on minorities in Bangladesh finally calls western attention to what happens when an Islamist majority is left unchecked to terrorise non-Muslims.
At last, Western selective sensitivity should open its eyes to a state of affairs that manifests itself not only in Bangladesh, formerly known as East Pakistan, but also in Pakistan and elsewhere.
The Bangladesh crisis should act as a belated wake-up call. It must alert us to the fact that brutal violations of human and civil rights occur all over South Asia – and especially in countries dominated by Muslim majorities and ruled by Islamists.
Whereas Afghanistan, of course, is nothing short of a modern-day theocratic dystopia and a rogue state which has cut ties with the rest of the world, it is high time we took a closer look at what is happening in Pakistan.
After all, we have lately been seeing many Pakistani flags flying in European cities, where Muslim immigrants, who showed up in EU countries as asylum-seekers, are now calling for the sharia law to be enforced in the old continent. We see this in the latest unrest in the UK, where Pakistanis have been playing a central role.
It is imperative that the West realises that many people who arrive in Europe as illegal migrants claiming to be escaping from danger and demanding that we respect their rights, share the values of backgrounds which show zero tolerance for diversity and no interest at all in multiculturalism or inclusiveness.
It is also important that states that harbour and nourish exclusion, oppression and violence as cultural and institutional characteristics are held accountable.
Last March an international conference was held at the United Nations Palais de Nations in Geneva, aiming at calling attention to violations of human rights and prosecution of Hindus in Pakistan-administered Jammu Kashmir and the region of Gilgit Baltistan. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it did not attract much attention and publicity.
The situation in Balochistan is also dire. According to the Asian Human Rights Commission, enforced disappearances have become a routine occurrence accepted by the authorities as a normal practice of law enforcement agencies.
Almost two decades ago, some of these perspectives were highlighted for the first time in a comprehensive EU report published in 2007. However, since then sensitivity over the matter has not gained traction in Brussels.
On the contrary, the EU is the second largest trading partner of Pakistan and a major donor through a plethora of NGOs, while EU member states, such as Greece, have signed agreements with Pakistan in order to facilitate immigration of workers into Europe. No real conditions have been set for this cooperation.
For some reason, the prosecution of Hindus in South Asia is a bit like the purge of Christians in the Middle East or Africa. We all agree it is wrong and then we look the other way.
In fact, the slogan “all eyes on Gaza” seems to be quite accurate indeed. All eyes are where the woke establishment commands them to look. No eyes are on places like Pakistan, Nigeria, or Bangladesh – at least not until a full-scale massacre breaks out.
So when things in Bangladesh calm down, as it fortunately appears to be happening at the moment, let us not forget that Hindu and Christian lives do not matter only when their loss makes the news. Pressure must be put on governments so that innocent people stop suffering.
And let us keep in mind that immigrant communities in Europe, such as the Pakistani one, are in no real position to wag the finger at us over issues of rights and liberty.
