For more than 1,000 years, Parsis have thrived in South Asia but an ageing population and emigration to the West driven by instability in Pakistan means the tiny community of “fire worshippers” could soon be consigned to the country’s history books, said NDTV report. The ancestors of today’s Parsis in Pakistan — followers of Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest religions — fled Persia over a millennium ago for the safety of the western Indian subcontinent.Legend has it Parsi leader Jadi Rana made a pledge to the then emperor of India that Zoroastrians, known in the region as Parsis, would not be a burden but would blend in like sugar into milk. But today they are a fading people across the subcontinent, with many affluent families from India and Pakistan leaving for the West. The community, which has long been active in business and charity, has been unnerved by the upsurge in Islamist extremist violence. One expert said the loss of the Parsis would be a “huge blow” to Pakistan’s diversity. Only around 1,500 are left in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, where they have “fire temples”, community centres and final resting places — where the remains of their dead are left in the open to be consumed by vultures according to their tradition.
Many affluent Parsi families are leaving, ones that have long been active in business and charity in the country. Has our intolerance towards those not fitting a homogenous mold, finally caught up with us? Or were we just waiting for them to fade out eventually? Losing a community like the Parsis, is definitely a huge blow to a ‘tolerant’ Pakistan, its cultural diversity and economic well-being. They have contributed immensely to the progress of this country and have always been peaceful citizens. They have long been discreet about their faith, making sure they remain unharmed. Pakistan is on its way to becoming a very religiously homogenous society. It is sad, that a country that was created as a safe haven for a minority, has not been able to provide the same for anything other than the majority.
pk.shafaqna.com
