Pakistan: Fatima Bhutto visits Hindu temple in Karachi after marriage, stir on social media

Pankaj Prasad
Fatima Bhutto and Graham Gibran
Fatima Bhutto and Graham Gibran

Fatima and her husband Graham Gibran created a stir on social media when they visited the historic Mahadev Temple in Karachi on Sunday.

Writer, activist and granddaughter of late Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Fatima Bhutto set a new precedent by visiting a Hindu temple after her marriage. This step of Fatima created a stir on social media. Some people praised her and many people asked what she had gone there to do. Fatima (40) is the niece of former Prime Minister late Benazir Bhutto and daughter of Murtaza Bhutto. They were married with simplicity in their grandfather's library here on Friday.

Fatima and her husband Graham Gibran created a stir on social media when they visited the historic Mahadev Temple in Karachi on Sunday. He had reached the temple in honor of the Hindu Sindhis, whose roots have been linked to Karachi since ancient times. According to media reports, Fathima's husband Graham is a Christian and an American citizen.

Fatima was accompanied by her brother Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr. and Hindu leaders. She and her husband offered milk to the deity. People on social media gave mixed reactions to this step of Fatima and her husband. Twitter account 'Sindhi Arjak' commented on the picture, "Loved seeing the pictures."

Another user wrote, "Awesome." Although many users asked what she had gone there to do. A user named Kulsoom Mughal tweeted, "What is the meaning of this ritual."

Another user wrote, "Well, Sindhi secularism means following Hinduism." Her brother said in a tweet that due to the difficult circumstances faced by our countrymen and women, we all felt it would be inappropriate to celebrate grandly. He said, please include Fatima and Graham Gibran in your prayers. The Bhutto family remains a formidable force in Pakistani politics, but their history has been riddled with tragedies.

Let me tell you, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in April 1979 by the then military dictator Zia-ul-Haq after a military coup. Zulfikar's eldest daughter Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 in Rawalpindi. In September 1996, Benazir's brother Murtaza Bhutto was also assassinated in Clifton. Murtaza's younger brother Shahnawaz Bhutto was found dead in his apartment in France in 1985.