Daily Times

Another man fell prey to the flames of hatred as a charged mob first beat him to death and then dragged his burning, lifeless body through the picturesque Swat valley as a chilling warning: Pakistan was not a place for the weak-hearted or those whose faith did not pass the approved checklist.

Following the previous tragic pattern to the dot, an unfounded blasphemy accusation was enough for a crowd to become a law unto themselves and prove their might by charging against the local police branded as his “protectioners.” That the victim was a tourist who just happened to have chosen Madyan as a respite from high temperatures makes the entire episode all the more problematic.

For years, we have argued that minorities are targeted in the name of religion as revenge for petty feuds or to settle personal scores. Blasphemy laws in Pakistan, being vague and open to misuse, are said to have enabled individuals to manipulate the legal system to carry out their own agenda.

Just last month, this overbearing culture of fear and intolerance saw at least 300 fanatics carry sticks and weapons to ransack the house of a single Christian man, injuring him to death. But what happened in Swat renders the entire personal angle inadmissible, suggesting that in a country rife with religious manipulation, anyone can become a target merely based on an accusation.

It is clear that Pakistan is at a crossroads in its fight against vigilante justice. The government must take a firm stand against mob violence and religious extremism and work towards creating a more just and tolerant society for all its citizens. Urgent reforms and establishing accountability would ensure that the next time someone instigates others to turn into the jury, judge and executioner all at once, the fear of the state’s writ would force them to approach the authorities.

The question remains: Would it ever dare to move beyond hollow lip service and a few arrests to pull the proverbial bull by its horns? *