Why Bilawal Bhutto Zardari chose the Non-Muslim face of Sindh.

Sindh has an ancient civilization Moenjodaro. This civilization has definitely left its mark on the subconscious mind of its ancient inhabitants who may have some descendants left to this day.

At the time of  birth of Pakistan a large Hindu population was living in Sindh and did not migrate to India like from the Punjab due to relatively placid and peaceful atmosphere prevalent in Sindh. Due to this tradition of living side by side ,a deep understanding and respect for customs and traditions has developed into the social consciousness.

With the advent of Pakistani Muslim identity and the state’s strong propaganda for an ideology, gradually an erosion has occurred where due to repeated martial laws and non-representative governments a deep rooted intolerance to non-Muslim identity is taking place in all of Pakistan.

As  Sindhi culture imbibes both Hindu traditions  and Muslim religious practices, it is not easy to present it in a pure Muslim way.The strong and colorful representation of non-Muslim tradition in dress, jewellery and dance forms an inherent part of this cultural representation.

The ghagra choli dress is one such example.The dances on shrines are another example of mixed cultural mileu. Both Hindus and Muslims are strong followers of Sufi saints such as Lal Shahbaaz Qalander and Sacchal Sarmast. There is no way these cultural influences can be separated.

With a strong push from militant organizations who are trying to legitimize their space in Pakistan ,Bilawal has deliberately chosen the non-muslim representation in the Sindh festival.This will establish his credentials as a liberal and also establish the importance of Sindh as a cultural heritage to be cherished and promoted in the world as Pakistan is being pushed and being made a pariah state in the world by Islamic militants.

There was a strong hue and cry from many here that vulgarity was being promoted in the name of Sindh culture but this kind of statement shows that young Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has chosen this deliberately to answer it as a battle call by extremists.He has shown that he is not mild and laid back and this is the side he wants to show the world.

As far as the damage to Moenjodaro done in the inauguration ceremony that is not documented as yet but that will be definite but extent maybe small when seen by experts.