A Practical Observation

On BBC London’s Hindi news program, there is a regular segment titled Baat Ek Safar Ki (“A Story of a Journey”).

Under this segment, the incident presented on 13 November 2003 was as follows: A man named Mushtaq Khan from Samastipur (Bihar) shared that he had travelled to Karachi (Pakistan) to meet his sister. This journey was commenced in September 1991. He said that he departed by train from the Wagah Border. When he reached the Pakistani border (Attari), some passengers informed him that the current Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, had announced that passengers coming from India would not be subjected to customs checks. Hearing this, Mr. Mushtaq Khan was very pleased.

However, when their train reached Lahore Railway Station on 11 September 1991, the situation turned out to be entirely different. The customs staff began aggressively inspecting them. When Mr. Mushtaq Khan, disturbed, said something, one of the customs officers lashed out at him. He said in a contemptuous tone, “You look like an Indian just from your face.”

Mr. Mushtaq Khan replied with these words: “The faces of us Indians shine with light, while the faces of you Pakistanis drip with disgrace.”

This incident reflects the feelings of ordinary Indian Muslims. The common Muslim, who lives peacefully alongside Hindus, holds such sentiments in their heart about India.

But the case of so-called Muslim leaders and so-called Urdu journalism is different. It is their negative writings and negative speeches that create the kind of problems which give hardline Hindus the chance to say that Indian Muslims are not patriotic. (Diary, 13 November 2003)