Dictatorship is considered an undesirable form of government for any State mostly because dictators impose policies only to prolong their time in power. These policies are never people-centric because dictators don’t seek power from the people, that is why their policies are never in line with the will of the people. That was the case with General Zia ul Haq in the 1980’s, he empowered religious forces in the country which helped him gain support for the Afghan War, he paved way for the polarization and extremism in the society that we observe today. Gen. Zia sowed the seeds for total destruction of the Pakistani society and although he has been dead for 23 years he is still killing people and the damage he caused is irreversible in many ways.
Gov. Salman Taseer was assassinated by his security staff Mumtaz Qadri five days ago, who based on his initial statements believed that Gov. Taseer had made blasphemous comments. Gov. Taseer was supporting and lobbying for an amendment in the anti-blasphemy law to curb its abuse. I have spent the past five days observing the reactions from different factions of the society trying to understand where we stand as a nation.
I was not a fan of Gov. Taseer because of his association with certain people but his assassination is a loss to Pakistan because of his liberal positions. Gov. Taseer had also been the target of a defamation campaign run by social conservatives on the web, pictures of his family were used to make a case against him. He was declared a non-Muslim by extremist clerics before and after his unfortunate death. It was disappointing to see the blatant sense of jubilation amongst those who disapproved of his position on the anti-blasphemy law and those who were perhaps envious of his lifestyle, none of this would have been possible in any other country and I find it extremely alarming.
The reaction we have seen from religious forces is simply wrong not only because they have failed to condemn this heinous crime but also because they have launched a well designed campaign to brand Mumtaz Qadri as a man of conviction. They have been wording their arguments to justify the crime instead of denouncing it. Two videos of Qadri have been uploaded on the web one shows him summarily confessing to his crime and in the next one he is reciting a Naat in police custody both of which are being used to drum up support for him.
Pakistani society stands at yet another (clichéd) cross road, the intolerance that prevails in the society has reached dangerous levels and people do not know how to deal with disagreements anymore. Even the religious leaders who refer to themselves as “scholars” have issued numerous “Fatwas” against each other.
Religious parties do not win elections in Pakistan, however, right wingers have always been loud but now they have resorted to measures which are designed to scare the opposition so that they would simply stop talking. They do not understand that their extremism is only hurting Islam and Muslims around the world and their protectionism is only making their arguments weaker. They have made it impossible for educated moderate Muslims to present a strong case for true Islam on a global scale.
All Muslims have the highest possible amount of respect and admiration for Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and that is not subject to any debate. This whole issue is being used by religious extremists to gain further control over political and social discourse because most of the conservative leaders lack education and awareness of global issues and they fear that if liberal thought is allowed to grow in the society they will lose their captive audience and become irrelevant. That is why right wingers love to explain every event with a conspiracy theory which is never backed by any facts.
Majority of Pakistani liberals are Muslims and obviously they cannot be against their own religion. Attempts are being made to play this as Conservatism versus Liberalism issue, if it is anything it is a Reason versus Extremism or Sanity versus Insanity issue. This is a matter of supremacy of law in plain simple terms.
Some drastic measures are required to restore the much needed stability in the society. We can even take some ideas from General Zia’s playbook, surprising I know but hear me out. General Zia’s administration heavily censored all available electronic and print media to restrict free thinkers and allow right wing extremism to grow in the country. Although I support freedom of expression but in these volatile times we might have to redefine what that freedom means. Should hate mongering be allowed in the name of freedom of expression? Limited censorship should be brought back, the government and the news media should align themselves to ensure that extremist clerics are not given any airtime, this would reduce their sphere of influence. At the same time moderate scholars focusing on the true spirit of Islam should be given more opportunities to spread their message. News media will have to start thinking beyond ratings and advertising revenues to ensure their programming is appropriate.
Similarly right wing columnists who have always served as propaganda machines should be banned completely. The government should look to block websites promoting extremist ideologies. Clerics who are well known divisive forces should not be allowed to hold public rallies. The hate machine must be stopped.
Liberals will have to ensure that they do not let right wing scare tactics work, they must speak up and take a stand for their beliefs. If this downward spiral is to be stopped supremacy of law will have to be ensured and reason will have to prevail.
Violence has no room in a civilized society and no individual or group can be allowed to decide anyone else’s fate and people who were issuing verdicts first calling for Gov. Taseer’s murder and then justifying it should be arrested and tried in a court of law for their role in this crime. Those who showered Qadri with flowers at his court appearance and those who made and uploaded his videos on the internet must also be stopped and investigated.
Mumtaz Qadri is a suspect at this stage and I hope he gets a fair trial in accordance with the law, he is not a hero. If there was a hero on January 4 it was certainly Salman Taseer.
Gen. Zia spent 11 years destroying the very fabric of our society and it might take us a lot longer to take our country back on the right track but the key is to keep trying. It is becoming increasingly difficult but I choose to remain optimistic.
