Toba Tek Singh

After fifteen years on his feet, he was lying face down on the ground. India was on one side, behind a barbed wire fence. Pakistan was on the other side, behind another fence. Toba Tek Singh lay in the middle, on a piece of land that had no name. - Saadat Hasan Manto

After sixty years of the partition of India and Pakistan the madness that can sometimes overtake people in the name of religion still feels relevant.



From Global Voices:

Gojra, the capital of Gojra Tehsil, is a city of Toba Tek Singh District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Last Saturday riots broke out in the town over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran. Following the riots more than 50 houses, belonging to the Christian community, were set on fire leaving 7 burnt alive and 18 severely injured. According to sources, most of the houses were burnt by a group of youths who had their faces covered with veils. They threw petrol bombs and fired indiscriminately.

Blame it on the Mullahs and Talibans or Zia's theocracy, the fallacy of the two nation theory still haunts the people. Still it divides rather than ensuring a peaceful coexistence.

(Image courtesy, The Dawn)