Vulnerable minorities in South Asia

The minority issue exists in almost all the Saarc countries, though perhaps not in the same degree of virulence. So any report on this complex matter, even when it's coming from a country whose credentials for upholding the rights of people can be questioned particularly following the invasion of Iraq-- has to be treated seriously. A good point made must receive due attention, regardless of which quarters it is coming from.

In the case of Bangladesh, a general mood of smugness has set in and the minority issues are often sidetracked with discourses on communal harmony, which may not always reflect the reality. But shouldn't any longer live in a make-believe world where the unwillingness to see everything in the right perspective is so strong that the truths about the lives of minorities are not always pushed to the fore.

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We have ethnic, religious and sectarian problems, some of which are quite deep-rooted. All these issue must come under focus. We have great ethnic and religious diversity that could enrich us. But society has to reach a certain level of tolerance and accommodative spirit to turn this diversity into a strength or a dynamic element.

The minority issue often creates social tension and leads to violence in the Saarc countries. India, for example, is still struggling to ward off the memories of Gujarat. But then it has to be appreciated that Indian people responded to BJP's brutal play of the communal card by voting the party out of power. Refined democratic pluralism triumphed over crass communalism.

So there is no need to be unduly peevish to the observations made on our minorities. Rather, the need is to address the problems that they are facing due their religious identity.