Mixed reaction to Ayodhya verdict in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Reactions in Pakistan to the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid verdict issued by the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court today have been mixed.

While right-wing political workers termed the verdict as being biased against Muslims, a majority of the people said that they were not aware or knowledgeable enough about the issue or the verdict, and therefore, refrained from comment.

Students at Iqra University in Islamabad said the issue was of little relevance to the people of Pakistan, as it was India’s internal problem. Some opined that the verdict looked tilted towards the Hindu majority in that country, but others hailed the far-sightedness of the Indian judiciary in wanting the people to come out of the past and look ahead.

Shamoon Hashmi, a noted TV anchor and literary personality, praised the decision and recalled that even in Peshawar people have built a mosque and a church in the same compound.

Senior analyst Nasim Zehra was quoted by a news channel as saying that the verdict was a strong message to all Indians to set the past aside and maintain communal harmony.

One student said the verdict was far from “secular”, as it was based on the birth of a deity thousands of years ago, which could not be proved in a court of law.

Noted intellectual and writer Harris Khalique said the judgment appeared sound as before the 1940s, the Babri Masjid was called Masjid-e-Janam Asthan, which proved that Muslims of Ayodhya recognized the sanctity and importance of the place and desired religious harmony.

He also said the verdict highlighted the secular approach of former Awadh (as Uttar Pradesh was known in between the 17th and 19th centuries) ruler Wajid Ali Shah.

Harris said there was a need to implement the verdict in its spirit of futurism and communal harmony to sanctify India’s secular tradition. He, however, warned that implementation would be a long and difficult process.

Political analyst Nusrat Javeed said the verdict was India’s internal matter and Pakistanis could neither accept nor reject it.

He termed the judgment a political and compromise verdict.

Human rights activist and a senior member of Indo-Pak Peoples Forum Mohammad Tahseen described the judgment as both practical and strategic, considering the complex nature of the case and its backdrop.

He said Muslims and other communities should end their romance with the past and try to live peacefully. (ANI)