THE Hindus will be celebrating Diwali on Nov 11. On behalf of the Hindu community in Pakistan, I request the government to declare a public holiday for Hindu citizens.
There are approximately eight million Hindus living in the country who are patriotic Pakistanis and it is their constitutional right to have a public holiday on their annual festival.
Diwali is observed as a holiday in more than 10 countries: Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Singapore, Fiji, India and Bangladesh. Announcing the Diwali holiday will tell the world that Pakistan is also home for minorities.
