Many of the city’s Hindus also observe Ramazan, and Iftar has become a social gathering
This photograph taken on February 26, 2026 shows Hindu men preparing Iftar meals during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan, inside a Sufi shrine at Mithi in Tharparkar district of Sindh province. Photo: AFP
Partab Shivani, a Hindu, has been fasting on and off during Ramazan for years, but this time is different as he practices abstinence throughout the holy month.
Every year he and his friends in Sindh organize Mithi Iftar to promote peace and solidarity between Hindus and Muslims.
“I think we need to promote interfaith harmony. First, we are human beings – religions came later,” said Shivani, a 48-year-old social activist. AFPand adds that he also reads the Buddha’s teachings.
“His message is about peace and ending war. Peace can be spread through solidarity and standing with each other. Distance only widens the gap between people,” he added.
Photo: AFP
96 percent of Pakistan’s 240 million people are Muslim. Only 2% are Hindus, most of them live in rural Sindh.
In Mithi itself, most of the 60,000 inhabitants are Hindu.
Many of the city’s Hindus also observe Ramazan, and Iftar has become a social gathering where people of both faiths happily participate.
“This has been a wonderful tradition for us for a very long time,” said Mir Muhammad Buledi, a 51-year-old Muslim friend who attended Shivani’s Iftar gathering.
“It’s a beautiful example of harmony between the two communities.”
‘Like Brothers’
After the end of British rule in South Asia in 1947, the subcontinent was divided into primarily Hindu India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. It sparked widespread religious bloodshed, with hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced.
Photo: AFP
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, freedom of religion and belief is under constant threat, and religiously motivated violence and discrimination are increasing every year.
State authorities, who often use religious unrest for political gain, have failed to address the crisis, the independent non-profit says.
But such tensions are absent in Mithi.
“I am a Hindu, but I observe all fasts this month,” said Sushil Malani, a local politician. “I feel happy to stand with my Muslim brothers.
“We also celebrate Eid together. This tradition in the region is very old.”
This photograph taken on February 26, 2026 shows Hindu men praying inside a Sufi shrine during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Mithi in Tharparkar district of Sindh province. Photo: AFP
Restaurants and tea stalls are closed across the country during the holy month.
Ramesh Kumar, a 52-year-old Hindu man who sells sweets and savory items outside a shrine, keeps his pushcart covered and closed until Iftar.
“There is no discrimination among us if someone is Muslim or Hindu. I have seen it since my childhood that we all live together as 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 modern Indian state of Rajasthan.
Cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, roam freely in the town of Mithi, as they do in India.
At two Sufi shrines in the middle of the city, Hindu families organize meals and bring fruit, meals and juice to their Muslim neighbors to break their fast.
“We respect Muslims,” said Mohan Lal Malhi, a Hindu caretaker of one of the shrines.
Photo: AFP
Mohan said his parents and elders taught him to respect people regardless of religion or color and the traditions are passed down from one generation to the next.
Local residents said both communities consider their social relations more important than their religious identity.
“You will see one [Sikh] gurdwara, a mosque and a shrine standing side by side here,” said Mohan. “The atmosphere of this area teaches humanity.”
