Rescue Teams Must Treat Muslims and Non-Muslims Alike!

Natural calamities, earthquakes and disasters do not ask for identification or religious affiliation of the population before wrecking havoc. While doing their jobs, rescue and relief officials are also expected not to discriminate victims on the basis of their religion or caste . It is quite unfortunate that, however, relief workers failed to treat all victims alike in the worst flooding of Pakistan’s history. Members of some minorities has complained, which understandably did not get proper coverage in Pakistani media, about prejudiced treatment due to their religious affiliations.



According to Hindustan Times, members of Pakistan's Ahmadiya community - who were officially declared as non-Muslims in 1973 - were not rescued because rescuers preferred to save Muslims first . Members of the community complained to the Punjab government that upon disclosure of the religious beliefs, they were even ejected from the relief camps and denied any flood relief.

Members of Sikh community also complained the apathy and discrimination of provincial Khyber-Pukhtunkhawa government. They said that members of their community were abandoned and they had to arrange rescue on their own, unlike their Muslim counterparts.

Since every flood victim is complaining about the absence of the government help, the authorities can easily deny the discriminatory behavior by rescue workers. In the light of religious extremism in Pakistan, specially against Christians, it becomes very clear that complaints of minorities are not baseless.

Members of different religious minorities are also citizens of Pakistan and there must not be any discrimination regarding their beliefs and affiliations. In the later phases of rehabilitation and reconstruction, government must take special care about fair and just treatment to all subjects. In addition, it must take serious action if one fails to conform with the 'equality of humanity'.