EDITORIAL: All major political parties inside and outside the government along with civil society members have expressed their sense of outrage and shame at the brutal lynching of Sri Lankan general manager of a garments factory in Sialkot. Unfortunately, however, the perpetrators have their apologists, too. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman said this in a tweet: “if the state does not take action against the those accused of blasphemy then such incidents will happen.” He, of course, conveniently ignored the fact that, like in the present case, more often than not, the accused are brutally murdered unheard before the state can act; and when it acts, the system is brought under pressure to convict the accused. There is the high profile case of a Christian woman Aasia Bibi. She had languished in jail on the death row for several years before the Supreme Court found obvious gaps in the evidence and acquitted her. Yet the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), supported by the Maulana, had launched a vicious countrywide sit-in, demanding that she be hanged to death. These people had vowed even to kill three members of the state’s highest court for setting her free (she had to find refuge abroad).
Leaders of the two main opposition parties, the PML-N and PPP, have condemned the Maulana’s statement. And, for once, disregarding differences with these parties, the outspoken Federal Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, has commended them for taking the right stand. He has also criticised his own party’s Punjab president and Senator Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry for presenting a bouquet of flowers to TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi upon his release from jail which, he said, was an “absurd act”. Recalling that in their latest violent protests the TLP activists had killed seven policemen asked the minister, “why didn’t he visit the homes of the policemen who were martyred?” In fact, the senator had also talked of forging an electoral alliance with the extremist group. Considering that he is not an ordinary member of the PTI but heads the party in Punjab, the question is also that how could he make such a statement on his own for whatever reason (perhaps to find favour with certain quarters)? The issue becomes all the more important in view of the fact that the party leadership has neither contradicted him, nor taken any disciplinary action against him. The Information Minister’s assertions suggest the PTI is displeased with its man in Punjab. Yet it seems to have decided to overlook his transgressions, like in the case of the secret, humiliating agreement it recently signed with the TLP, for the sake of some expediency.
For now, the government has arrested scores of suspects involved in the gruesome murder in Sialkot. Prime minister Imran Khan has also announced a much-deserved Tamgha-i-Shujaat, the highest civilian award for bravery, for victim’s colleague, Malik Adnan, for trying to rescue him at the risk of his own life. There surely are many other good people like him in this society, but it is for the state to protect the lives and liberty of all people. Sadly, it has shown confounding leniency towards extremist elements. If the past is any guide, once the public outrage over the Sialkot atrocity subsides, as indicated by the JUI-F leader, extremists will continue to take law into their own hands, killing people in the name of religion that lays a lot of emphasis on tolerance and compassion. It is about time those in position of authority realised that violent extremism posed a grave threat to security and stability of this state and society, and needs to be wiped out root and branch.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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