Hindus in Karachi celebrate ‘festival of lights’

KARACHI: Vijay Kumar, like other members of the community, was in a hurry to finish his day job. He had to prepare for the Hindu festival of Diwali, which has been a permanent feature of life in Karachi since the times when this Pakistani mega city was known as the “city of lights.”
“No matter what the conditions of the city would be, we had been celebrating this festival with the same zeal,” Kumar, who had come out with his family at Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, told Arab News. “However, over the last few years the city has witnessed more harmony and now our Muslim friends also join us in this event of happiness.” 
Hinduism is the second biggest religion in Pakistan. The majority of its followers live in Sindh, where they make up 7.5 percent of the province’s population. Karachi, the capital of Sindh, has nearly 30 Hindu temples and Shri Swaminarayan Mandir attracts the largest number.
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. “To celebrate this festival we illuminate temples, our homes and shops in our communities,” Pandit Vital Das told Arab News. “Wearing the finest clothes, the followers of Hindus also offer Puja to the Lakshmi, which is followed by fireworks, felicitations and exchanges of sweets and gifts.” 
Pakistan PM Imran Khan and leaders of different political parties extended greetings to the Hindu community on the day of their festival. “Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has held out assurances to non-Muslims living in Pakistan that his party will always stand for their protection and promotion as equal citizens of the state as per the vision of the founding fathers of the country and teachings of our religion