EDITORIAL: The state has once again allowed itself to be brought to its knees by a religio-political party using the fair name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to play with the sentiments of the people. After a day of worst violence wrought by the recently banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Lahore seeking expulsion of the French ambassador over the publication in his country of blasphemous caricatures, Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation. He explained that sending the ambassador home and cutting ties with France will not resolve the issue; nor would it make any difference to France. It would only hurt Pakistan, he asserted, as breaking diplomatic ties with France would also mean severing relations with all member countries of the European Union - a major trading partner of Pakistan. He assured people that he would launch an international campaign with the help of all Muslim states to make the Western countries realise the need to discourage Islamophobia and blaspheming of the honour of Holy Prophet (PUBH) in the name of freedom of expression. Towards that end, he said, he would launch a campaign to bring heads of all Muslim governments aboard to take collective action against any country where blasphemy is committed. It is worth noting, nevertheless, that so far no other Muslim state has reacted to the issue.
The TLP leadership has no clue how the world works. It may be recalled that at an earlier occasion its late founding leader, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, had offered his counsel on how to get rid of the IMF loans liabilities thus: “just tell them we’ll pay whenever we have the money; or better still that we won’t pay anything, do whatever you can.” Unfortunately, some other religious groups nursing personal grudges against the government have seen the TLP’s present violent agitation as an opportunity to settle their own scores. Mufti Munibur Rehman who lost his job as the head of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee gave a call for countrywide businesses closures on Monday, ostensibly, in sympathy with the TLP. The shutters-down call was observed in several cities, either out of fear or as show of support to a cause so close to the hearts of all Muslims. In a more ominous move, JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who after a failed anti-government sit-in heads a fractured Pakistan Democratic Movement, announced his decision to join the TLP’s long march on Islamabad scheduled for Tuesday (yesterday). Apparently, mounting pressure from different directions impelled the government to reengage TLP in talks to stop the long march.
According to government spokespersons, the talks were only about averting violence. In the event, after several rounds of negotiations between Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid assisted by several ulema representatives and the TLP, the government gave in to the TLP demands. Under a new agreement – fourth surrender deal with the party in as many years -the government will present a resolution pertaining to France before Parliament, though its wording is not known just yet. And all the TLP men arrested for acts of violence that, according to the Interior Minister, left two policemen dead and 580 others wounded, some of them seriously, and destroyed some 30 public vehicles, are to be released. Furthermore, the names of over 100 TLP clerics placed on the Fourth Schedule are to be removed. At this rate of appeasement it is a matter of time before the TLP will find a fresh pretext to flex its political muscles and challenge the writ of the state the PM had vowed only a few days ago to establish at all costs, deciding to ban the TLP under the anti-terrorism law in the greater interest of the public and the state. In a way, it is good that the issue is now to be decided by Parliament. The other major parties, the PML (N) - which has had the taste of the same medicine when in power in 2017 — and the PPP must forget their differences with the government this one time, and play an effective role in putting a stop, once and for all, to the use of sensitive religious matters for personal or political gains.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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