Irfan Ilyas Gill is neither a Shia nor a Sunni Muslim but a member of the Pakistan Christian Scouts who along with 30-40 other Christians has been voluntarily facilitating Shia mourners participating in the Ashura processions in Pakistan’s biggest metropolitan city Karachi for over 12 years.
“Pakistan Christian Scouts have always been available wherever needed for some 28 years now. Earlier, we used to set up a medical camp for the participants of the main Ashura procession on MA Jinnah Road in Karachi but over the years we have been given the additional responsibility of searching cars and frisking the participants before allowing them entry into the main procession,” Gill said.
The Christian, who is a worker in a private office and was elected as the general secretary of the Pakistan Christian Scouts in 2017, said that his family was initially hesitant to let him volunteer for Ashura security.
“In 2009, a suicide bomber struck an Ashura procession in Karachi in which four Christian scouts were among the victims of the deadly attack. Two more Christian scouts were killed in a gun attack on our camp during the Ashura procession in 2011. My family was naturally fearful for my security due to these incidents but they eventually let me volunteer when they saw how passionate I was to continue serving the people regardless of the security threats,” he said.
Ashura occurs annually on the tenth of Muharram and is marked worldwide by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning over the seventh-century battlefield death of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad.
While the Pakistani Taliban and other terrorist groups have been the major source of instability in Pakistan, sectarian militants who regard Shias as non-Muslims also pose a significant security threat. Large-scale sectarian attacks, which killed thousands in the 1980s and 1990s, are now less frequent in Pakistan but the rise of a local Daesh franchise has presented new challenges for the government.
“When we wear our khaki uniforms, we bid farewell to our families in our hearts because we don’t know whether we will return home safely or not. No doubt life and death are in God’s hands but one never knows when would be the last day of their life,” he said.
The members of the Pakistan Christian Scouts belong to low income working groups, Gill said, but Christ’s teachings motivated them to serve people selflessly without any hope for reward.
“There is no fee or honorarium for our services, only the thrill of volunteering help during times of need. We are Christian scouts and this is what we do,” he said. He added that all Christian scouts have to volunteer at least 15-16 hours every month.
According to Gill, all scouts consider each other as brothers regardless of their faith backgrounds.
“We are bonded by our passion to serve humanity by rising beyond religion, caste or creed. Our cooperation also fosters interfaith harmony and sets an example of nationalism and brotherhood for the general public,” he said.
Pervaiz Aftab, who retired from government service some years ago and is the head of the Pakistan Christian Scouts, said the non-profit group was founded on December 12, 1984.
“Scouts are a bridge between the community and law enforcement agencies,” said Aftab, adding that Pakistan Christian Scouts was one of the 200 scout groups that volunteer for Ashura security in Karachi during Muharram.
Aftab believes that the role of scouts has become more significant in the recent years.
“With increasing security concerns in Pakistan, the scouts have started playing a more practical role in serving society,” he said.
Scouting was formally established during pre-independence years, and today the scout groups all across the country get registered with the national or provincial scouting associations. Scout members are then trained according to the syllabus prepared by the respective scouting organisations. The training involves first aid, disaster management, basic bomb disposal techniques, and self defence.
