Daily Times

While campaigning for the NA-4 by-election,Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq criticised his political opponents for not attending terrorism and murder convict Mumtaz Qadri’s funeral prayers. Haq’s speech was in clear violation of the National Action Plan against terrorism. Qadri’s death had been sanctioned by the judicial system of the country. Haq’s speech is dangerously close to a vote of no confidence in this system and it is a clear incitement to violence. He needs to immediately retract his words. Otherwise, the authorities concerned must take notice and deal with the matter in accordance with the country’s laws and constitutional injunctions.

But the JI chief is not alone in indulging in such incitement speech. The irresponsible behaviour of portraying Qadri as a hero for killing a man he was supposed to protect seems to be in vogue among several other Pakistani politicians as well. Haq stands alongside PML-N’s Captain (retd) Safdar, Awami Muslim League’s (AML) Sheikh Rashid and leaders of the newly formed barelwi outfit Tehrik Labbaik Ya RasoolAllah (TLR).

These politicians represent the worst in our national politics. Disconnected completely from day-to-day problems of thousands of Pakistanis, these politicians do not have anything concrete to offer to electorate in terms of solving the longstanding problems of extremism; macro-economic and institutional stability; inter-provincial harmony; as well as FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s future.

These men and their hateful and inflammatory speeches must not be allowed to have any role in shaping the country’s future. To ensure that, lawful action must be initiated against them immediately.

The state cannot evade this responsibility. It should own the NAP and implement it in letter and spirit.

The sorry state of affairs becomes clear from the fact that Qadri, the terrorist, has a shrine built in his name near Islamabad in Bara Kahu area. Attendants at the shrine can buy pictures of Qadri and make donations to the shrine. This means that the damage done by Qadri didn’t stop with his hanging.

Thus, the state’s responsibility is not just to prosecute all individuals and organisations glorifying Qadri but also to immediately seal the shrine that is doing what Haq, Safdar and others did on around the clock without making headlines either. *

Published in Daily Times, October 21^st 2017.