Daily Times

The Punjab Assembly has done well by adopting a unanimous resolution strongly condemning the assassination of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, which should be a message to extremists that the two major political parties are in unison in fighting the spectre of terrorism. The brutal assassination of Salmaan Taseer was indeed tragic and grievous as he had taken a principled stand that the Blasphemy Law should not be misused. Salmaan Taseer had only suggested removing lacunas in the Blasphemy Law so that innocent persons are not framed and punished. In fact, many commentators have been suggesting that the government should evolve some mechanism so that the Blasphemy Law is not misused by anyone.

A moderate, enlightened, erudite, principled and outspoken man, Salmaan Taseer earned fanatical ire for his stand that there is a need to reform the Blasphemy Law so that no innocent person is charged and sent to the gallows. If religious parties continue tossing around the issue, it will lead to further polarisation of society. It is a fact that emotions are what drive us, and also what drive us astray. We must remember that Allah sent Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) as a great blessing for the world, carrying the message of peace and, above all, truth. Therefore, while awarding the death sentence to a person who is accused of committing blasphemy, it must be established that he or she is not framed by a vested interest or booked because of a vendetta. If truth is not pursued then it is in negation of Islamic injunctions. After his martyrdom, the case lies in court and there is no need to take out rallies as Pakistan’s economy is already in dire straits; anarchy-like conditions could bring Pakistan to the brink of disaster. Nevertheless, no one should be allowed to influence the court through rallies or other means.

Meanwhile, the assassin has confessed to his interrogators as well as the court that he committed the crime in reaction to Salmaan Taseer’s statements regarding the Blasphemy Law. He had no right to take the law into his own hands; he should not be projected as a hero. On November 23, 2010, Sunni Tehreek and Aalmi Tanzim Ahle Sunnat held a protest demonstration in front of the Lahore Press Club. Addressing the rally, Pir Muhammad Afzal Qadri said, “If Arif Iqbal Bhatti, a judge of the Lahore High Court could be assassinated for acquitting two Christians, government functionaries should not expect to be spared.” It is true that Pakistan is an extremist society, but extremism should be eliminated in every form and manifestation. Pakistan’s military has been fighting extremism and terrorism, losing many of its soldiers and officers. Therefore, all progressive forces should unite against extremism and the media should play its role in this regard.

Speech is an important form of communication, revealing critical aspects of our nature. But some self-righteous media anchorpersons, politicos, eminences, intellectuals, scholars and religious leaders shout at the top of their lungs and interrupt when others express their views. Our anchorpersons, panellists and their guests (mostly politicians) shriek during talk shows; their screeches present a dismal picture of our society, as shouting has become their main characteristic during the discourse. They believe that the louder they shriek, the more they prove they are right. In the 19th century and first five decades of the 20th century, the role of the press was to inform people about what was happening around the world. Today, the print and electronic media’s role is to inform the people, create awareness, build public perception and mould public opinion to create unity and give hope to the crisis challenged people.

Most member states of the UN have incorporated human rights in their constitutions, bearing an identical serial number — Article 19 of the UN Human Rights Charter. The Pakistani constitution’s Article 19 says: “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan.” Some people interpret freedom as the ‘right to do wrong’, which means that they are free to act even if that means trampling upon the freedom and rights of others. This is against the very concept of the citizens’ rights in a civil society. Investigating or reporting is serious business and if media men start using such reporting to take sides and extract money then, of course, it is despicable and condemnable.

There is widespread perception that some media men have weaned away from the high standards of professionalism demanded of them. One reporting editor of a media group in his columns and frequent appearances on television is trying to justify the rallies taken out by religious groups and parties despite the fact that the government has categorically stated that it would not change the Blasphemy Law. He condones the act of Mumtaz Qadri in a subtle manner through his flawed polemics. Last year, he tried to convey the impression that the military leadership was calling the shots, and went on with his insinuation of the army’s hand behind the unrest in Abbottabad and Hazara after changing the NWFP’s name to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He stated, “After the recent bloody riots in Abbottabad and Hazara, another PML-N leader told this correspondent, strictly off-the-record, that he believed that some intelligence agencies had played tricks to trigger violence in the area.” He did not feel any qualms over his betrayal of the trust of the person who strictly told him that it was off-the-record.

The Pakistani media should take notice of the black sheep in its fraternity who are out to create chaos and confusion by pitting one organ of the state against another. They have to realise that if the law and order situation does not improve, no domestic or foreign investment will arrive, no jobs will be created and, with spiralling inflation, Pakistan will become a breeding ground for extremists and terrorists. If this trend is not stemmed, the ruling elite should realise that Salmaan Taseer will not be the last person on the fringe’s hit list. This fringe has also been knocking out mosques, imambargahs, shrines and tombs of revered saints. In Surah Furqan, Allah has described the properties of the momin, and one of them is described in XXV (73): “And those who, when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat.” God Almighty expects His servants to keep their eyes open to reason, thought and light. “Those who were blind allegorically to knowledge and self-development will be blind to the hereafter and most astray from the path” (Al Quran).

The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at mjamil1938@hotmail.com