Bekhabar

After the split of the subcontinent in August 1947, almost 5 million Hindus and Sikhs migrated from Pakistan to India, and 12.9% of the Pakistani population consisted of Hindus. By 2018, the number had come down to 1.6% and is sadly constantly reducing. According to politician Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, 5,000 Hindus migrate from Pakistan to India every year, and the Hindu community now openly asks the question: “Are we not a part of Pakistan?” It is odd to think that the second largest religious community in Pakistan would feel a strong sense of disassociation with the country that it resides in. The truth, however, is that—in almost 72 years—Hindus have not been able to comfortably live in Pakistan. In fact, the community has often had to face an identity crisis, with individuals not being able to even use their full names. According to a prominent Hindu social worker, Sawai Malhi, the majority of the Pakistani population is not even aware that a Hindu community exists. This

Kon bachaye ga Pakistan? Tulaba, mazdoor aur kisaan! Who will save Pakistan? Students, workers, and peasants! Credit: DAWN Youth activism has always been an effective means of change. Even in the “dark” ages before the days of social media activism, students fought for their rights with knives, stones, and their fists. As early as 1229, students at The University of Paris went on a strike which lasted more than two years and led to a reformation of the medieval university. This strike would go on to form the foundation of student-led activism, influencing the development of democracy for centuries to come. Long before Partition, this trend reached the Indian subcontinent too. One of the earliest manifestations of a formal student union in colonial India was the student wing of the Muslim League, known as the Muslim Students’ Federation. It was formed to assist the League in recruiting students across India and help achieve its goal of attaining a separate country. In do