SPEAKING of peace in a heated environment requires courage; standing with the vulnerable is an act of moral clarity.

But to remain composed and committed to justice amid hostility is an extraordinary feat, one that only a few can sustain in Pakistan’s increasingly polarised society.

Pakistan has, from time to time, produced individuals who quietly defy the dominant currents of fear and division. They stand as sentinels of sanity, choosing principles over populism. One such figure emerged from Umerkot, a border district in Sindh that rarely escapes headlines due to its fragile interfaith fabric, rising Hindu-Muslim tensions, and growing anxieties over forced conversions.

Here, where Hindus constitute a significant portion of the population, and communal suspicion often simmers just beneath the surface, the potential for conflict is real and recurring.

In February 2012, the town stood on the edge of such a rupture. A property dispute between Muslim shopkeepers from the Arain community and the custodians of the centuries-old Aakharo Temple spiralled into violence. A viral SMS incited local Muslims to mobilise after Friday prayers, and within hours, fear had gripped the city. Two Hindu men were injured, arrests were made, and the area shut down in anticipation of further unrest.

In that moment of chaos, a voice of restraint emerged: Maulana Abdul Rehman Jamali, a Deobandi scholar and local imam affiliated with the JUI. His sermon from the mosque’s pulpit cut through the noise.

“This is not a religious issue,” he declared, “it is a property dispute — and........

© Dawn