Express Tribune: It started late, rushed to resolve and concluded with dismay. Indeed, the amount of interest displayed in the session on ‘The Silent Minority: A voice for the voiceless’ at the second day of the Karachi Literature, unfortunately reflected reality in Pakistan.

While the issue is one of immense significance, the priority given to it, seemed, was abysmal, much to the annoyance of the audience; and perhaps even the panelists – one of them even going as far as to say that he had no idea why he was there. While the sessions for Vikram Seth, Saad Haroon and Sharmeen Obaid were packed, the one for the silent minority was shamefully bare.

Political analyst Khaled Ahmed attempted to identify, as best as he could in a five-minute slot, minorities in Pakistan – explaining the constitutional history of “cornering” certain communities into a “white patch” on the national flag.

Khaled Ahmed particularly reacted, and achieved a few rounds of applause, when grilled over the exclusion of a member of a minority in the panel. Giving a few examples of his Ahmadi friends, Ahmed said that there was no question about the participation of members of minority communities in the session. “Ahmadis have said goodbye to their country,” Ahmed said. They would simply refuse to be targeted, he said, adding that while that is a right he has to respect, he will “continue to speak for them whenever he can”.

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