Last year 19th May, the student governing body ISC conducted an event titled-‘A seminar on
Imam Hussain (A.S.)’ with a Shia & a Sunni speaker attending respectively. This year again on
19th May, the ISC is planning to conduct another seminar along the same lines. I as an IBA
alumni am deeply enraged and saddened by the way things are phasing out at one of Pakistan’s
Premier Business School. As if members of major political parties such as PPP, MQM & others
using their power status to discriminate along religious lines wasn’t enough, that now
tomorrow’s leaders (IBA’s motto-Ideas for Tomorrow) are bent on doing the same at their
respective institutions in a bid to disrupt the social fabric. It is exactly this which has made
Pakistan stand where it is, come 65 years.

Hazrat Hussain Ibn Ali (R.A.) the grandson of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was martyred at Karbala
in 61 A.H. But as a point of argument we can say that Hussain (R.A.) wasn’t the only companion
of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) who was martyred. During the Prophet’s (PBUH) lifetime 265
Sahaba were martyred while during the 50 year period of Khilafat-e-Rashida,27,000 Sahaba
were martyred. If commemorating days of Islamic Personalities is done at IBA, then critics
might contend, that all these martyred Sahabas must be talked about & separate events
be conducted. Practicality is what is needed. If Shias can have Youm-e-Hussain(A.S.) at
IBA,CBM,SZABIST then the Sunnis are bound to feel discriminated against and would rise to
have the Khulafa-e-Rashideen commemorated as well. I would as a matter of fact like to point
out that no-where (in the 4 universities mentioned) Sunnis have any events on Hazrat Abu
Bakr, Umar,Usman & Ali R.A. If IBA wants to be free of sectarian nationalism and divisions along
ethnic & religious lines, it should stay away from such corollaries. Because if it does it leads
to ONLY one way-a dead end (pun intended). More so over, as to rub in the salt, the event
has been planned in violation of all IBA rules regarding events. All events have to go through
the pertinent society and in this case the IBA IQRA SOCIETY does not endorse this event as it
identifies it as creating sectarian fault lines. If the administration fails to take note of this, the
current students and alumni have no choice to take things in to their hands, something that
neither side should be looking forward to.

Can Shias roost the Sunni lamb and believe that Sunnis would let a single biased religious
interpretation being forced upon their majority co-religionists at IBA, this is something no one
can guarantee. Only time would tell. Till then the clock ticks…

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the above article are of the writer’s only and do not necessarily represent Aaj.tv/Aaj News policies.