Source: TOI via Wasim Sroya:
Sitara Brooj Akbar, a 12-year-old girl, hails from Rabwah, a town of 70,000 people, some 180km west of Lahore. Last year the young Sitara achieved a noteworthy academic record: she became the first girl of her age to clear the Cambridge University Ordinary Level examinations in three subjects: English, Urdu and Physics. She was nine when she cleared Chemistry, and 10 years of age when she cleared Biology.
Sitara claims two local icons. For style and female power, she emulates Benazir Bhutto, wearing a light scarf casually over the back of her head and across her shoulders. I am ‘daughter of the east’ she says, taking on a title accorded to Bhutto. Her intellectual hero is Abdus Salam, a Pakistani physicist who won the country’s only Nobel Prize (in Physics) in 1979 but was treated quite shabbily, to say the least.
Salam, now dead, and Sitara have two things in common: a deep intellectual curiosity and a shared faith – they hailed from the Ahmadi community, who number in several millions in Pakistan, and to whom the fundamental freedom to practice faith has been under threat in Pakistan since as early as 1954, when civilians took to the streets in anti-Ahmadi riots.
In the article itself the sentence has been written which any official Muslim has to sign to be called as Muslim in Pakistan. I reproduce it once again, “I consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Quadiani to be an impostor Nabi and also consider his followers whether belonging to the Lahori or Quadiani group to be non-Muslim.” This was added by Gen Zaiul Haq. You will notice this unique thing only in Pakistan where some one has to denounce some one to be called as Muslim. No where in the world is such requirement. Even in India if you are Hindu you are not required to denounce the prophet hood of any other prophet. To me this is the main cause why wrath of God is being bestowed on the Pakistani Nation. You believe some one or not, no problem but do not denounce or force others to denounce the claimant of God. it is the right of God to punish the impostor. Still there is time. Pakistani government can get the forms changed and should strive to include the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in main stream. Let state not to interfere in the religious affairs of any one. Leave the religious matter between creature and creator. I am confident such an approach will start dissolving many miseries of Pakistani nation.
Why she emulates Benazir Bhutto? Her father was the person who declared Ahmadis non muslims and Benazir supported this decision during her tenure.She along with her husband Zardari looted Pakistan. Sitara you are intelligent enough to find other good role models.
Benazir Bhutto once did try to make a small attempt to have Zia-ul-Haque’s ‘Marshall Law Ordinance’ (on Ahmadis) removed. Do you remember what happened? The Mullahs started a campain stating that no female can be Head of State (in a Muslim country). Afterwards they made a deal ‘you keep the Marshall Law Ordinance and we stop our campain’. This is so funny that it is difficult to explain to non-Pakistanis. But it really happened…
Br Rafiq R U sure it happened? Not to my knowledge. Ms Fatima Bhutto, daughter of Murtaza Bhutto once committed if she grabbed the power can try to undo with anti ahmadiyya laws. As for observation of Mehar Ali is concerned probably to extent of being called daughter of East she liked BB.
Anti-Ahmadi riots were in 1953 not 1954 as stated above
Malala Internation Foundation a registered Charity will continue to highlight intellect and promote ideology of Sitaras and Malalas. We offered support for Sitara’s higher education through Jinah Forum.
Br Zubair. I even remember a political cartoon where it showed BB giving the Ahmadis to the Mullahs in exchange for the PM chair. But I cannot find any ‘google evidence’ just now. May be some other readers can confirm? (that the Mullahs stopped their propaganda against BB becoming Head of State (as a women) in exchange for her not removing the Marshall Law Ordinance?