'Bhagat Singh was a Pakistani martyr,' say experts'

Shaheed Bhagat SinghKarachi, Nov.26: An intellectual here has said that the military-backed Pakistan Government is trying to co-opt the legacy of Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh, which is an insult to the latter’s memory.

Acclaimed writer and intellectual Zahida Hina have described the installation of a statue in Bhagat Singh’s honour by the government of Pakistan’s Punjab province as “an insult to his memory,” and believes it is “like Hitler unveiling a statue of Mandela or Gandhi."

Hina expressed her views at a memorial seminar organised by the Irtiqa Institute of Social Sciences here on Sunday to remember Bhagat Singh.

The Dawn quoted Hina as saying that it was a great coincidence that the 150th anniversary of 1857's war of independence against the British and Bhagat Singh's birth centenary had fallen in the same year.

She said that Pakistanis should particularly commemorate Singh, as he was a "Pakistani shaheed."

She said several films had been made about or inspired by Bhagat Singh, dating back to 1965, both in Pakistan and India.

She said that with a handful of youth - reportedly 100 – Bhagat Singh managed to strike fear in the hearts and minds of British Raj authorities, while his literary works were translated into various languages of the subcontinent.

"He was the pied piper of the Punjab whose flute played the tune of freedom. He was not a bloodthirsty terrorist nor was he power hungry. He was a thinker", she said.

Dr. Jaffar Ahmed of the University of Karachi said an attempt should be made to organize something more befitting for Bhagat Singh, but due to the country's political situation nothing major could be organized.

Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui of Biztek also reiterated that Pakistan should be at the forefront in remembering Bhagat Singh. (ANI)

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