Speech of Honorable Chief Guest Sardar Z. K. Khosa

Speech of Honorable Chief Guest
Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa, Senior Advisor to C.M. Punjab
on
6th International Seminar on Dr. Ambedkar (April 26, 2011)

Honorable speakers of the seminar especially Guests from India, Nepal and Pakistan, Director of Sir Ganga Ram Heritage Foundation (SG RH F), Syed Asif Hashmi (Chairman, ETPB), Ladies and Gentlemen!

I am honoured to be with you on this great occasion, of celebrating the 6th international seminar to pay tribute to a great personality of South Asia, when we are commemorating the 6th Dr. Ambedkar Day organized by Sir Ganga Ram Heritage Foundation. On this occasion it becomes appropriate to take in view the philosophy and approach of Dr. Ambedkar, who believed in the equality of mankind and spent his whole life fighting for the rights of the oppressed classes, in various ways.

In my opinion it is a best way to organize a seminar as this one, which is on the “Common Plight of Dalits and Muslims of India”, so as to make a comparative study of the two important communities of India and enter into a dialogue to fine remedies for the improvement of the suppressed communities of South Asia.

Dr. Baba Sahab Ambedkar was not only an ordinary thinker and philosopher but a visionary upholder of human rights for the down trodden and denied human rights nationalities of South Asia. H is foresighted socio-political vision was so pertinent that now we can see that the centuries old kingdom of Nepal has changed itself to a democratic state. Dr. Ambedkar’s Democratic Constitution in India has worked well and the roots of its democracy have been deepened. Pakistan and Bangladesh are also on the path of strengthening their democratic institutions.

Although South Asian economies have shown growth but that has been uneven in nature. Pakistan has made fairly good progress in socio ­cultural sectors but the fruits of economic and social development have to be brought down to the grass root level. The real development of any society cannot be fruitful unless the gap between rich and poor is decreased, and opportunities provided to all sections of the society. It has to be recognized that in our societies, social equality & justice is the dire need of the time. This is the root cause of deprivation and unrest of the poor classes. If equal rights for all communities, races, faiths and peoples are not accepted and if the mentality of those people who consider themselves the privileged elite or perceive themselves a superior class by birth, is not changed then there will be no ray of hope for anyone. It is not a matter of constitution and laws only; it is also a matter of mentality and a mindset of such privileged classes who are not ready to accept equal rights of the down-trodden classes at any cost.

If we have problems of Commies, Vagaries and Harries in Pakistan Indian society has even much bigger problems of low casts, untouchables, Dalits and Minorities. Until and unless there are people who hate each other, by considering others inferior because of their cast, creed, colour and race or the jobs they do, it is hard to evolve a just society and a nation. It is really painful that the nation of Dr. Ambedkar is depressed & human rights have been denied there for the last 3 to 4 thousand years. The rights of Dalits or Untouchables should be universally acknowledged on equal human status which Dr. Baba Sahab Ambedkar has been striving for.

Our strong ruling class must realize now that without social equality & justice, they themselves will never live in peace in any corner of the world. They must love the weak and down trodden classes and must have a strong desire to improve the quality of life of these under privileged. Deprivation of the rights of weak classes causes class hatred which is burning peace, prosperity, fraternity and stability in the region. I salute the great visionary Dr. Ambedkar who gave us a philosophy for not hating and follow an attitude of discrimination, but to love and work for the betterment of the weak classes of the society.

Overwhelming majority of our South Asian Societies is still living at below poverty level and it happens to be the poorest of the regions in the present day world. At the same instance there are opportunities which can provide real strength and power to these same people. If their quality of life is not improved and in the society the grass root level is not given any attention and are not empowered and respected, such society will never have any respect in the eyes of the world. Baba Sahab has rightly said that to find peace in the world people should be liberated from socio-cultural and racio-­ethnic barriers. All human beings are equal and they should enjoy equality in practical life.

On this august occasion my message to all human beings is to live together with peace, equality & respect for each other’s beliefs. Let us work together for the down trodden, depressed and denied human rights nationalities in the region whose fate has not been changed for centuries together.

It is right time to work with a vision for love & fraternity because love conquers all. Love to all and hate to none should be our motto.

I thank all of you, my guest brothers and sisters, for your presence here, for connectivity to pay tributes to the people like Baba Sahab Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, who is no doubt an icon of humanity.

I am also grateful to the team of Sir Ganga Ram Heritage Foundation who has strived hard to make arrangements for this great day. Such efforts provide grace to this auspicious occasion of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s birth day anniversary which Pakistan is so very proud of celebrating every year.

Thank you so much

Pakistan Paindabad