EDITORIAL: Even as the Supreme Court in its 2019 judgment on the 2017 Faizabad sit-in by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) revealed in great detail ‘an inconvenient truth’, identifying the lapses on part of the then government, media regulatory authority, intelligence agencies, armed forces, and others, no effort to make course correction followed.
As a result, the group became even more aggressive, exploiting religious sentiments to gain political mileage. Last November, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Isa — who had authored the judgement — hearing petitions against the court’s verdict, rejected the fact-finding committee constituted by the government, ordering the formation of a commission of inquiry to unveil the organiser/instigator behind the sit-in. A three-member commission led by a retired senior police officer and comprising a former Islamabad inspector general of police and Additional Interior Secretary has submitted its report to the federal government.
The report has not been made public, however, according to those privy to it, (indirectly implying abetment) the commission has said “Army is a sacred arm of the state, therefore to avoid criticism the institution may not be involved in public matters.
This task may be assigned to [the Intelligence Bureau] and civil administration.” That is how all functioning democracies deal with challenges thrown by violence-prone groups.
Unfortunately, in this country where religious extremist outfits have been an irrepressible source of trouble, no lessons have been learnt. It needs to be recalled that the TLP faced no consequences for using intimidation, violence and spewing hatred at the Faizabad dharna.
Emboldened by that adventure it staged another dharna in 2021 in Lahore and several other cities against the apex court’s exoneration of a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was falsely accused of committing blasphemy. While the TLP leaders delivered inflammatory speeches against the judges who let the innocent woman walk free as well as the then prime minister, its activists resorted to vandalism and attacked the law enforcers.
No one was punished for these crimes and consequent to an agreement brokered by the powers that be; the government lifted the ban on the TLP, removed the names of several activists from the Fourth Schedule, and allowed it to function as a ‘normal’ political party, duly registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Its task confined to the Faizabad sit-in, the commission is conspicuously silent on the question of responsibility but instead has made several recommendations to avert a similar fiasco, including advice against using the paramilitary forces, the FC and Rangers, in urban areas.
The report also calls for legislation and drafting of rules and SOPs to regulate the working of intelligence agencies. As a matter of fact, their roles are already clearly defined. But the nagging question is this: how can they be implemented? There is no easy answer to it.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024