Lots of the metropolis’s Hindus additionally observe Ramazan, and Iftar has change into a social gathering the place folks from each faiths fortunately take part.
Partab Shivani, a Hindu in Pakistan, has fasted on and off throughout Ramazan for years, however this time is totally different as he practices abstinence for your entire holy month.
Yearly, he and his pals in Mithi prepare Iftar to foster peace and solidarity between the 2 religions.
“I imagine we have to promote interfaith concord. First, we’re people — religions got here later,” Shivani, a 48-year-old social activist, advised AFPincluding that he additionally reads the teachings of the Buddha.
“His message is about peace and ending conflict. Peace can unfold via solidarity and by standing with each other. Distance solely widens the hole between folks,” he added.
Many of the nation’s Hindu inhabitants, which contains two % inhabitants, lives in rural areas of Sindh.
In Mithi itself, many of the 60,000 inhabitants are Hindu.
Lots of the metropolis’s Hindus additionally observe Ramazan and Iftar has change into a social gathering the place folks from each faiths fortunately take part.
“This has been a beautiful custom of ours for a really very long time,” stated Mir Muhammad Buledi, a 51-year-old Muslim buddy who attended Shivani’s Iftar gathering.
“It’s a stunning instance of concord between the 2 communities.”
‘Like brothers’
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), freedom of religion or belief is under constant threat, with religiously motivated violence and discrimination increasing annually in Pakistan.
State authorities, often using religious unrest for political gain, have failed to address the crisis, the HRCP says.
But such tensions are absent in Mithi.
“I am a Hindu, but I keep all the fasts during this month,” said Sushil Malani, a local politician.
“I feel happy standing with my Muslim brothers. We celebrate Eid together as well. This tradition in the region is very old.”
In the daytime, restaurants and tea stalls are closed across the country during Ramazan.
Ramesh Kumar, a 52-year-old Hindu man who sells sweets and savory items outside a shrine, keeps his push cart covered and closed until Iftar.
“There is no discrimination among us if someone is Muslim or Hindu. I have been seeing this since my childhood that we all live together like brothers,” he said.
Muslim shrine, Hindu caretaker
Locals say Mithi’s peaceful religious coexistence can be traced to its remote location, emerging from the sand dunes of the Tharparkar desert, which borders the Indian state of Rajasthan.
At two Sufi Muslim shrines in the middle of the city, Hindu families arrange meals, bringing fruit, meals and juices for their Muslim neighbors to break their fasts.
“We respect Muslims,” said Mohan Lal Malhi, a Hindu caretaker of one of the shrines.
Mohan said his parents and elders taught him to respect people regardless of religion or colour, and the traditions are passed from one generation to the next.
Local residents said both communities consider their social relationships more important than their religious identity.
“You will see a (Sikh) gurdwara, a mosque, and a shrine standing side by side here,” Mohan said.
“The atmosphere of this area teaches humanity.”
Header image: This photograph taken on February 27, 2026 shows Hindu and Muslim men enjoying a meal as they break their fast during Ramazan, at Mithi in the Tharparkar district of Sindh. — AFP
