First ever book on ‘Pak Minorities 100 Heritage Sites’ released on World Heritage Day
Pak PM Misses event
Rashmi Talwar
AMRITSAR April 18, 2023 –
Invoking the 11th August 1947 speech of MA Jinnah to the constituent assembly of the nascent theological state of Pakistan carved from India, – “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State”, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani Patron –in-chief, of the Pakistan Hindu Council opened the glittering prize distribution ceremony today.
The day was extremely relevant to the event as it was –“World Heritage Day” which also saw the unfolding of the First ever Nationwide Book on ‘Pak Minorities 100 Heritage Sites’ at the country’s Prime Minister Secretariat Auditorium, in Islamabad today.
A coffee table colorful book “Top 100 Minorities Heritage Sites of Pakistan” by Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani was released to commemorate the occasion of the first-ever National level- ‘Photo Contest of Minority Heritage Sites of Pakistan’.
The book was cataloged via this Photo Contest of Minority Heritage sites in Pakistan and the ceremony for the Prize Distribution of the contest was broadcast live for two hours on all Pak TV Channels and social networking sites.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif as the chief guest, skipped the occasion, which was graced by Pakistan’s Education and Human Right Ministers
Pak watchers in India looked with keen interest at the unfolding events in neighbouring Pakistan initiated by a Hindu MNA Dr. Venkwani
Speakers present on the occasion spoke about the restoration and preservation of a treasure trove of art, culture, and heritage structures and creating Tourist Circuits connecting the restored sites, which could accrue huge returns and add to the failing economy of Pakistan, with the public-people partnership.
Incidentally, the country has a history of being too jittery about holding minority events and deeply fearful of security. Hence, the venue for the event where selectees of the contest were to be felicitated and honored was kept a closely guarded secret and was only shared with the 100 shortlisted participants, a day in advance.
The extra cautious invite by email read –“All winners in the list will receive a prize. All of those who have confirmed through Emails are requested to reach HEC (Higher Education Commission) Auditorium, Islamabad along with the original CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card) before 1:00 pm on Tuesday, 18th April 2023. Official HEC vehicles will be moved from HEC to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat at 01:00 pm (Sharp). Nobody is allowed to reach PM Secretariat directly due to security issues”.
Zahid Karamwala who was one of the selectees in the list of 99 others told this writer from Islamabad –“As many as 40 winners from far and near arrived and were hosted at the Pak PM’s Secretariat. Each of the present selectees received prize money of Rs 10,000, along with a certificate and the coffee table book, which featured their own selected photograph.” Adding-“I am deeply overwhelmed by this acknowledgment of our work and dedication towards heritage sites, especially the neglected ones belonging to the minorities. This is also a big tribute to our “India Pakistan Heritage Club” that has spurred many amongst the public of both countries to see heritage sites fondly mentioned in stories by their elders on both sides of the dividing line between the two nations.
Pakistan Hindu Council Patron Dr. Venkwani during his address to winners of the contest who had arrived from all around the nation regretted -“We (Pakistan) did not use our huge pool of diversity to benefit the nation, including, art, culture, and heritage, we just frittered it away”. Adding –“Pakistan possesses a rich cache of 1256 Temples including Hindu, Jains, Buddhist sites and 520 Gurdwaras, and scores of churches dot our cities and countrysides, out of these Pakistan’s Evacuee Trust Property Board (PETB) has been able to make only 31 functional. Making them functional would mean huge sentiment and historical tourism potential for Pakistan. He urged his country –“Let’s become a team, let’s become a nation!”
Pakistan Hindu Councilorganizes ‘Pakistan Minorities Heritage Photo Contest’
Pak PM to grace, venue kept top secret, Live broadcast across Pakistan
Is Pakistan’s civil society soft-wooing India with enhanced attention to Minorities?
Rashmi Talwar
AMRITSAR April 17, 2023 –
Amidst a near economic collapse, terrorist strikes, a flood fury that left a trail of destruction, rising prices of commodities, and the IMF loan’s hefty burden, somewhere, the minuscule Hindu community of Pakistan, found space, albeit a photo competition.
Karachi-based ‘Pakistan Hindu Council’ (PHC) initiated an “All Pakistan Minorities Heritage Photo Contest” on January 31st this year. The PHC along with technological assistance from the Press Network of Pakistan received an overwhelming response from the Pakistani public comprising majorly its Muslim population.
Just a few days back the PHC declared a list of 100 shortlisted winners of the Photo competition with a final announcement on April 18 of the top winners, at an award distribution ceremony to be held in Islamabad.
PHC headed by Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani MNA (Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan), equivalent to a Member of Parliament in India, also the Patron-in-Chief of PHC while speaking from Karachi Pakistan, told this writer –“The event received hundreds of photographs of minority-owned heritage structures, from all over Pakistan. It was an unbelievably overwhelming response. Conditionally, these photos were essentially to be of a structure existing pre-partition i.e. before 1947.”
Answering a query about the prize distribution ceremony Dr. Vankwani confirmed that the photo contest’s concluding ceremony would be high profile. “The Prime Minister of Pakistan Janab Shehbaz Sharif has agreed to preside over the glittering Prize distribution ceremony to be held in Islamabad on the forthcoming 18th of April,” he stated with much buoyancy.
“The winners would receive Rs 50,000; Rs 30,000, and Rs 20,000 as prize money, respectively. Besides which, special category prizes, lucky draw winners, and others will receive other accolades.”
The prize distribution function venue significantly has been kept a closely guarded secret citing security reasons and would be shared ‘only’ with participants. “It will be a live telecast from the capital city of Islamabad, across countrywide Television networks, at 3 PM dot Pakistan Time. Do come!” added the MNA nonchalantly. “Oh no Sir, I am from India!” “Oh! Okay, Okay.” Further stating-“As many as 551 monuments belonging to minorities in Pakistan prior to 1947 partition have been beautifully photographed by participants both by professionals and amateurs. We plan to catalogue and publish a book on the 100-best shortlisted photographs of minority monuments featured in this competition.”
The ‘All Minorities Nationwide Heritage Photo Contest’, a first in Pakistan’s 75 years of history, started in January this year. It was directed to include heritage structures- Hindu Temples, Churches, Gurdwaras, and Synagogues prior to the partition year. Other than shrines, it also included any enclosed or open space for worship, any place converted into a religious site, government offices, educational institutes, hospitals, homes, commercial places for instance shops or markets, or buildings, even those not in use, like water wells, were listed as places of significant inclusion, owned by minorities. The competition-specified sites for photography included nationwide locations of such structures in provinces of PoK (Pak Occupied Kashmir) or what Pakistan calls – AJK, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sind, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Islamabad, and others.
More than 1200 entries of Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, and other communities’ sites, were received by the organizers. The 100 shortlisted were put up on PHC’s website and shared on other social networking sites.
A reader pointed out in the comment section, – “Majorly it is the majority Muslim community of Pakistan, I can see, that’s named in the list of 100-shortlisted winners”, to which, he received many laughter emoticons. He was right, this writer could count only 22 participants from minority communities in a list of 100 of the best.
PHC, established in the year 2005, a non-profit organization, working for the welfare of deprived communities, and forging interfaith harmony, had broadcast on its page–“Every Pakistani citizen regardless of religious affiliation can participate and help to highlight, and value beauty and diversity of minority religious heritage, across Pakistan”.
Tourist potential from the preservation of Heritage structures of the minority community
Why and how did the Hindu community find its space amidst the overwhelming Muslim majority theological state, is being seen in India’s power circles, with a raised eyebrow. With Pakistan liberally giving visas to Sikh Jathas; more than 2500 recently for Baisakhi Celebrations; seems to be a case of Pakistan’s soft and friendly overture to minimize hostility with India.
Stalling of International Trade with India had a spiral effect on commodities rocketing sky high like perishable goods such as onions, tomatoes, garlic, and others.
“Guns and Ties don’t go hand in hand!” was India’s refrain to Pakistan raising the walls between the two countries, after terrible terror strikes.
Thus Pakistan’s overture to highlight minorities seems to stem from a space of a failing state, desperate for hand-holding, besides resuming trade ties with the growing influence, power, and stature of India the world over.
Alongside, it is about wooing minority communities in other countries who could conveniently get visas for Pakistan, for tourism. Interestingly, much harmony exists between citizens of India and Pakistan thriving in a third country.
Eric Johansen, a Norwegian who is looking forward to his forthcoming visit to Pakistan in May, feels- “Pakistan indeed is a treasure trove of heritage and historical structures and places. The Western world including myself finds great interest in the processes of conservation and preservation of minority heritage structures in Pakistan after its initial neglect for three-fourths of a century. Heritage structures tell complex stories which elicit great interest among curious tourists as well as niche tourists comprising historians, archeologists, etc who could join the dots with museum displays. Like piecing together alternate history from monuments in consonance with museums”, he explained.
Some of the minority sites that were photographed include St Luke’s Church in Abbotabad, Mohenjo Daro’s archeological site of early man of the Indus Valley Civilization, Hindu Katasraj Temples, Sikh Nankana Sahib Gurdwara, Buddhist Takht-E-Bhai in KPK, Sharda Peeth Kashmiri Pandit temples in PoK, Chaukhandi Tombs in Karachi,
Even some private museums and galleries hold much interest for tourists especially where artifacts belonging to minority communities are tastefully displayed. Eating joints such as Cooco’s den is massively popular among tourists where visitors get to eat amidst the charm of heritage buildings lit up at night and surrounded by minority shrines and artifacts collected by its owner, a sculptor, and artist Iqbal Hussain from vandals who vandalized minority-owned places in Muslim agitatory moods during partition, Babri Masjid demolition in India and other moments. They looted prize sculptors and art , and sold it in all types of intact and broken forms to high-profile buyers and connoisseurs of art in Pakistan. That way they were able to salvage some idols in various stages of destruct and make good use of them as a display.
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Zahid Karmanwala is one of those 100 shortlisted at number 98.
Talking to the writer from Lahore, Heritage lover Zahid Karmanwala said he and his partner Imran William are passionate about Heritage structures and together explore, highlight, and present findings to Pakistan’s Tourism ministry, collaborate on a contractual basis with conservators and tourism authorities to restore minority structures.
Karmanwala, whose ancestral home is in Ferozepur India, which he visited in 2017 said. “It was in Spain I saw how structures built by Muslims- a minuscule minority there, stood so well preserved and had become the prized heritage of the country ushering in tourism, which spurred me into action to search heritage buildings of minorities along with William. We both go on a motorbike hundreds of kilometers on every holiday to locate a new structure, document it and send it across to the Tourism and Heritage Preservation, to collaborate with its preservation under the Government of Pakistan. The Jain temple which lay overturned from year 1947 in Lahore was lifted recently and is one of our finds and now is being conserved. Similarly, Atma Ram Samadhi in Gujranwala is also another marked for restoration.
Both Imran William and Zahid Karamawala along with a few Indians are administrators of the ‘India-Pakistan Heritage Club’ a group, with a following of 1,61,000 followers in both countries. The group reunited many Indo-Pak partition victims with their lands and loved ones through this Facebook group. Many others found solace in seeing the photographs of the lands and landmarks left behind they wished to see again and again. Recently a 90-year-old Indian lady, Reena Chibber Varma was able to revisit her ancestral home in Rawalpindi Pakistan 75 years later, which she left when she was of 15 years old, through the efforts of this group.
Rashmi Talwar Saanjh-Togetherness 
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