While talking to TOI over phone from Lahore on Thursday, president of Labour Party, Pakistan Farooq Tariq, said, "The government's U-turn on its decision is most surprising for all of us here and we will resist it and initiate a movement against any such move." He informed that the Labour Party was on forefront in pressurizing the government to name the chowk after Bhagat Singh.
He informed that he would head a delegation to meet district coordination officer (DCO), Lahore on Friday asking him to clarify government's stand adding that the DCO himself had announced to name the Shadam Chowk after Bhagat Singh in September.
Reportedly, Pakistan government had put off its plan to change the name chowk Bhagat Singh after receiving threatening letter from Hafiz Saeed led Jamaat-ud-Dawah militant outfit that had opposed naming any square on the name of non- Muslims. Hafiz is also the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and is most wanted man in India for his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
While ruling out the possibility to convince JuD, Farooq said, "They are fundamentalists and their ideology doesn't match with ours, but we are capable to oppose them." Farooq said Bhagat Singh shouldn't be reckoned with any religion, he was a revolutionary, an inspirational and iconic figure of independence movement.
Echoing with Farooq, peace activist, theatre director and actress Madiha Gohar said, the civil society in Pakistan was surrounded by people with fundamental ideologies who continues to take Pakistan on way to Talibanization. "It is very shocking to know that there are forces who just want Muslim names of the squares and roundabouts, I wonder why do they discriminate people with their religion," she said. She said it took years of incessant labour and struggle of peace activists to change the mindset of those in power to rename Shadam Chowk as Bhagat Singh Chowk. "Every year, we go to Shadman Chowk and write Bhagat Singh Chowk with paint. This shows the respect for Bhagat Singh in the hearts of common Pakistani." she said.
Director, Punarjyot, a Center for Preservation and Promotion of the Heritage of Punjab, and organizer of annual Amritsar - Lahore peace festival, Keerat Sandhu said the Pakistani government's decision to hold on its plan of changing name of the Shadman Chowk would be detrimental to peace process initiated by the common man. "This is the time when Pak government show its resolve to promote secularism and not give in to the dictates of fundamentalists."
State convener of Pak-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, AS Mahal, said, "We knew that fundamental forces in Pakistan wouldn't let it happen as they brew hatred only." He said peace activists from both India and Pakistan should jointly take up the issue as a common cause. "Bhagat Singh was a personality who had given supreme sacrifice to get rid of years of British thralldom, those opposing his name for a square should instead take pride in it," he said.
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