Daily Times

The ‘vice’ and ‘virtue’ squad stormed the capital with undue pomp and vigour.  Knowing the significance of the Faizabad Interchange they chose to set camp at the midpoint of the twin cities. As a result, they brought the capital to a standstill.

Several hundred trained and indoctrinated hooligans armed with batons and some with weapons and petrol bombs have strangled the twin cities in a brief period of time.  Led by a man who gained popularity through his derogatory and degraded ill-speech against whomsoever he chooses to disagree with, the group seems to have succeeded in their strategy to attract attention through any means possible.

As of now, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan paints a picture of disability, disorder, helplessness and the poor health of a state which appears to have failed to restore the writ of the state and to protect the fundamental constitutional rights to freedom of movement to its citizens at the hands of handful of radicals.

Islamabad has been in complete chaos and has remained hostage to an extremist group. Interestingly, the government had realised the error even before their arrival which it called a ‘clerical mistake’. The government regretted this and their demands have already been addressed through the new act adopted by parliament, leaving no room for them to undermine national security.

Khadim Hussain Rizvi who describes himself as a devout, pious, true lover of the last Prophet (PBUH) and fearful of God, is invoking this noble name of God with hostility which  violates God’s divine instructions in the holy scripture. By practicing hate speech and trying to create anarchy, Rizvi and the group has been disrupting people’s everyday lives.

The system in a Muslim majority country whose constitution ensures Islam to be the state religion and establishes an order over Muslims to practice their lives according to Quran and Sunnah and has strict anti-blasphemy laws, leaves no room for any sense of insecurity regarding Islam. This is why no one should be allowed to preach violence in the name of love for Prophet (PBUH)

Over the course of the past 19 days, around two dozen  cases of harassment, threats, attacks, rioting and inciting violence have been registered against them by the different sections of civil society, but the state’s role was no more than aiding and abetting religious extremists in the gateway of Islamabad and attempting  to placate the citizens with erroneous promises.

Even the   police and other law enforcement personnel were struggling to protect themselves from the groups violent  manoeuvres.

Pakistan has been yearning to achieve a ‘soft image’ for decades, but every once in a while, the country has to face international isolation as a result of anarchy created by such extremist groups. According to the Global Peace Index (GPI), Pakistan ranked among the least peaceful countries in South Asia. In the given circumstances, how would the state persuade the international community and  Foreign Direct Investment about the conducive environment in the country when it  is becoming increasingly violent?

The government does not want to offend its religious vote bank and thinks it will be a bad idea to anger the powerful clergy of the country just a few months ahead of the general elections. The state seems to have decided not to play with a full deck, but is instead delaying the matter, probably waiting for another Lal Masjid like tragedy.

It is worrying that the protesting leaders have vowed to continue the protest and stated that they are not scared of death.  Demanding the government to take decisive action to sack the law minister, Zahid Hamid, – whom they hold responsible for the controversial amendment and reversal in the finality of prophethood — means they have placed themselves to the service of martyrdom.

The system in a Muslim majority country whose constitution ensures Islam to be the state religion and establishes an order over Muslims to practice their lives according to Quran and Sunnah and has strict anti-blasphemy laws, leaves no room for any sense of insecurity in Islam. This is why no one should be allowed to preach violence in the name of love for Prophet (PBUH).

Let history be our guide, the members of this extremist group are neither the true faces of Islam nor the true lovers of the Prophet (PBUH) but active detractors trying to thwart the efforts of the state to constitute the kind of harmonious society following the model of the first ever Islamic state of Madina in which Muslims and non-Muslims had equal rights and lived in peaceful coexistence for years. This virus of an anti-pluralistic, misogynistic and puritanical form of Islam must be reversed.

It might take some time, but their shallow rhetoric in the name of Islam will end soon. Drastic times call for the state to take drastic measures and use its greater role to indiscriminately stop their ominous narrative and to safeguard the future of Pakistan.

The writer is a freelance writer can be reached at @ranasarfraz3417

Published in Daily Times, November 30^th 2017.