As a committed and true Sunni Muslim I would like to draw the attention of fellow Pakistani's (with anti-Shia attitudes)to some facts about Pakistan's political history. Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was born a Shia Muslim (he was an Ismaili Khoja Muslim of Gujerati origin). As were successive Pakistani leaders like Iskander Mirza, Ismail Chundrigar, Yahya Khan, Zulfikar Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto (though as I know she denies it) to name but a few.
I have heard many Sunni Pakistani's talk about a Shia (Iranian-inspired) conspiracy against Pakistan - of Shia's controlling the media, finance and politics in Pakistan. This is of course prejudicial rubbish, and religiuos bigots should remember that Shia's are not a separate ethnic/territorial group in Pakistan - they are around 15 to 20% of Pakistan's population, and there are Shia's in every ethnic group, province, division , district of Pakistan.
The whole Sunni-Shia violent struggle in Pakistan (of which I believe both sides are equally to blame), along with other issues like the persecution of non-Muslims, the ethnic division in Sindh, and the perceived domination of Punjab has to do with the explosive and divisive policies of General Zia. This man was so obsessed with destroying the PPP, that he ended up destroying the tolerant and peaceful fabric of the Pakistani Nation which had existed for thirty years before him.
I have heard many Sunni Pakistani's talk about a Shia (Iranian-inspired) conspiracy against Pakistan - of Shia's controlling the media, finance and politics in Pakistan. This is of course prejudicial rubbish, and religiuos bigots should remember that Shia's are not a separate ethnic/territorial group in Pakistan - they are around 15 to 20% of Pakistan's population, and there are Shia's in every ethnic group, province, division , district of Pakistan.
The whole Sunni-Shia violent struggle in Pakistan (of which I believe both sides are equally to blame), along with other issues like the persecution of non-Muslims, the ethnic division in Sindh, and the perceived domination of Punjab has to do with the explosive and divisive policies of General Zia. This man was so obsessed with destroying the PPP, that he ended up destroying the tolerant and peaceful fabric of the Pakistani Nation which had existed for thirty years before him.
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