This step seems very daring on part of PAT but lost its importance being taken during forthcoming process of national general elections and pointed as election stunt by the opposition Muslim religious parties of PAT. Of course it's the first step in south Asia of its kind where religious communities have always tried to keep apart for others and never left a chance to criticize other faiths. The fundamentalism in Indian Muslim communities can be viewed in the light of historical fact that on fall of Khilifat in Turkey the agitation's erupted in India and Indian Muslims lodged strong protest against the British colonial empire and launched Khilifat movement in India when other Muslim on globe never took the fall of khilifat very seriously. Many Muslims sacrificed their lives and suffered imprisonment on the protests. Although the Muslims in India were never the beneficiaries of Khilifat neither empire nor they were part of that Muslim empire but their religious sentiments have been remained strong for the Muslims around the world.

In 20th century the Muslims in an independent Muslim state of Pakistan remained the same fundamental and sensitive on Muslim international issues. The Palestine liberation movement has been focus and ideal among campaign among Pakistani Muslims from decades. Yasser Arfat have been Hero of Muslims and his photographs can be seen in houses and shops. The observation of Palestine day by religious, social and political organization of Muslim majority in Pakistan is as their approach to the Muslim cause in Muslim world. Its fact that Yasser Arafat paid many visits to India and preferred the Indian support to Palestine cause and seldom liked to visit Pakistan, still the Palestine liberation was treated as foreign mission in Pakistan and Pakistani youth were keen to volunteer for PLO and join the Jihad with them.

The Muslims minority in Philippine organized liberation movement in Moro islands and that front was permitted to open their headquarters in Islamabad when the Philippine Muslims have never any social or cultural association with Indian Muslims. The sympathy with Philippine Muslims was on the only ground that they were Muslims and Pakistani Muslims remained in their favor.

The historical background of Muslims in sub continent of India has been encircled by fundamentalism. Now when we discuss the recent act of invitation of PAT to offer the Christians to pray in mosque its clear alarm for the most of the Christians in Pakistan because the next step shall be the invitation of Christian visiting religious sect to invite the PAT to offer their prayers in their church.

We witnessed by the history that during Khilifat Usmania in the very beginning the Muslims declared very Islamic like PAT to offer prayers with Christians in the churches as they have not many mosques in their kingdom but later on the Muslim religious leaders issued religious decree that in any worship place where Muslims offer prayers for one time that becomes mosque and Christian prayers in the same are un Islamic. During Khilifat period many churches were turned to be mosques in turkey, Syria, Cyprus and central Asia and they are still mosques.

If Muslims of Pakistan follow the same decree after offering prayers in churches on any invitation and turn them to mosques. It shall be the darkest day in the history of Pakistan and true Christian religious and political leadership is worried and in fear after the prayers of Christians in mosque and future invitation by those Christian leaders involved in these series of visits and dialogue commission.

PAT is still not strong Muslim political and religious movement to face the other religious groups to face any such decree like Muslims in middle east of turning churches to mosques on the pretext that wherever any Muslim offers prayers that's the house of their Allah and only for them.

Therefore the Christian leadership in this forum must be aware of religious history of Muslim world and to avoid any step to politicize their image only. There action shall leave mark on Christians in Pakistan if not taken seriously. They must think twice to carry on such acts in Pakistan.

Nazir S Bhatti.