August 11 was National Minorities Day in Pakistan, a day that should hold increasing importance in today’s frayed political climate. People belonging to minority faiths are as important to national cohesion as the majority. Their contributions to Pakistan’s prosperity, prestige, and ethos are immense.
The day was covered in various ways and even President Arif Alvi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to refrain from discriminating against minorities.
One Twitter user in particular, took to his social media profile to compile a thread of all contributions made to Pakistan by those from minority backgrounds.
“Tribute to the ‘White’ of the Pakistani Flag”
1. Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry was a Pakistani academic, human rights activist and veteran fighter pilot who fought in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat.#NationalMinoritiesDay pic.twitter.com/x46NOJwuec
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
2. Benjamin Sisters were a Pakistani singing group of three sisters, Nerissa, Beena and Shabana Benjamin. They participated in music learning programs aired on Pakisan Television from 1968 to 1987 conducted by Sohail Rana and also appeared in the TV talk show Silver Jubilee 1983. pic.twitter.com/aYzDDMck7I
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
His thread included people from all backgrounds, music, art and even law. Showing just how important our minority communities are to the fabric of our country and how little we understand their value.
3. Justice Rana Bhagwanda served as the acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP). He also worked as the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan.
He wrote a number of poems in praise of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. pic.twitter.com/Dl3fTg9HT0
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
4. Dr Faridoon Sethna is a venerated gynecologist in Pakistan who served as Chair and Medical Director of Concept Fertility Centre. He has served as Medical Superintendent of Lady Dufferin Hospital Lyari. Among his many patients was former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. pic.twitter.com/zp8K90KTke
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
5. Harcharan Singh is the first Sikh officer to be recruited in the Pakistan Army. He was commissioned by the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on 27 October 2007 at Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul. He is presently at the ranks of Major. pic.twitter.com/oRLg764Otg
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
Men and women alike were lauded for all the ways in which their work and contributions have helped our lives. And not all of them were historical figures either. He also included Florence Villiers, the owner of Cafe Flo, which is a fan favorite in Karachi
6. Florence Villiers is a celebrated chef and owner of Cafe Flo which is Karachi's famous French restaurant. Florence was responsible for introducing Karachiites to French cuisine. Cafe Flo established excellent standards of dining and food. pic.twitter.com/KcgeegtGvU
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
The list kept growing:
7. Dr. Ruth Katherina Martha Pfau was a German born nun who devoted more than 50 years of her life to fighting leprosy in Pakistan. In 1996, Pakistan was declared by the WHO to have controlled leprosy. In August 2010, she was awarded Nishan-i-Quaid-i-Azam. pic.twitter.com/A2DERnYJSo
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
8. Dilshad Najmuddin was the first Christian to serve as Inspector General (IG) Police in two provinces. He was later elected Chairman United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna becoming the second Pakistani to head a United Nations Commission. pic.twitter.com/xT1aUrcYjg
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
9. Dr Abdus Salam was a Pakistani theoretical physicist. He won the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution to the electroweak unification theory. He was the first Pakistani to receive a Nobel Prize in science and the second from an Islamic country after Anwar Sadat. pic.twitter.com/ckcnJfDr0w
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
Dr Abdus Salam won Pakistan its first Nobel Prize, and it was good to see his work and efforts being recognised with the importance they deserve
10. Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta was the first elected Mayor of Karachi and is known as the "Maker of Modern Karachi". He was the father of Scouting in Sindh. He was also one of the founder members of the Boy Scout Movement in India, and later on in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/twF7YjuG3O
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
11. SB John is a forgotten star of Karachi. Accompanied by his wife and two sons namely Robin and Glenn John, John used to sing gospel on Christmas Eve, on PTV. pic.twitter.com/3akP5QkX4z
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
12. Bapsi Sidhwa is a renowned novelist of Pakistani origin. She is settled in the US and is best known for her collaborative work with Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta. She has taught at the University of Houston, Rice University, Columbia University and Mount Holyoke College pic.twitter.com/1Ne4rykYfy
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
13. Aban Marker Kabraji is a Pakistani biologist and scientist of Parsi origin. She is regional director of the Asia Regional Office of IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Previously, she was country representative for the IUCN Pakistan office. pic.twitter.com/iFy4PiL6PV
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
No contribution was deemed too big or too small. Anil Dalpat Sonavaria was mentioned for his role in Test Cricket for Pakistan, even if it was only for a brief interval.
14. Anil Dalpat Sonavaria was the first Hindu ever to play Test cricket for Pakistan. Dalpat was a lower-order batsman and wicket keeper. He represented Pakistan for a brief interval in the early 1980s as a replacement of Wasim Bari. pic.twitter.com/0aOjjrWC0l
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
15. Arthur Nayyar, known popularly as A Nayyar, was Pakistan's iconic playback singer. He was one of the most popular singers of film industry in 70s and 80s. Besides he sung many ghazals and geets for Pakistan Television and earned much deserved acclaim. pic.twitter.com/BZ7IaxAZWU
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
16. Anthony Theodore Lobo was a Pakistani Roman Catholic bishop. He remained the Principal of St. Lawrence's Boys School Karachi and Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi. He was awarded President's "Pride of Performance " Award in 1990 for his services to education. pic.twitter.com/H3L7i2IJzj
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 11, 2020
He also didn’t forget the Pakistanis who no longer live here, but are still be a part of our community, no matter what.
18. Veteran Pakistani diplomat Jamsheed Marker was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having been “ambassador to more countries than any other person” and also for being “the world’s longest serving ambassador”. He was awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2003. pic.twitter.com/RKwlJC3hUd
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 12, 2020
19. Pakistan's first non Muslim Chief Justice was Justice Alvin Robert Cornelius. He was jurist, legal philosopher and judge who served as the 4th Chief Justice of Pakistan from 1960 until 1968. He served as Law Minister in the cabinet of Yahya Khan, 1969 – 16 December 1971. pic.twitter.com/W5cEq4efH5
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 12, 2020
20. Air Commodore Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz is considered as one of the chief architects of the PAF and Pakistan's space program. He remained administrator of SUPARCO from 1967 to 1970. He was a central figure in developing high-tech rocket and missile technology. pic.twitter.com/EBCbmPnETW
— Fidato (@tequieremos) August 12, 2020
This thread serves as both an inspiration and a reminder. An inspiration for all those who seek to achieve the impossible and know that there are people who did it. And a reminder than religion, class or creed do not change who is Pakistani, and that one’s faith should not mean fewer rights. Pakistan was made as a safe haven for those who need it, and it’s time it becomes one.
