Recently at least 45 people have been killed and 20 injured in a gun attack on a bus carrying Ismailis Shia Muslim in the city of Karachi. Police said six gunmen on motorcycle had stopped the bus and fired indiscriminately at passengers. Such attacks are quite common in Pakistan but this is the first attack on the Ismaili community and it is shocking even by the standard of Karachi.
Ismailis, also known as Khojas, are a very peaceful, prosperous, Gujarati speaking, mercantile community. During the course of history, the Ismailis have under the guidance of their Imams, made significant contributions to Islam civilisations, the cultural, intellectual and religious life of Muslims.
Mohamed Ali Jinnah, the creator of Pakistan, belonged to the Ismailia Shia Sect and believed that the minority Muslim community will be disadvantaged in the majority Hindu rule. If he had lived long enough, certainly he would have realised his grave mistake to shatter Mahatama Gandhi’s dream of Akhand(undivided) Bharat.
Niranjan Vasant
London