The religion that had once galvanized a diversified populace to wage unified struggle for achieving a separate homeland now appears to have turned into a source that is constantly dividing the very country that was created in its name.
The ideal of religious-based unity, revered and upheld as the hallmark of the country, has always been used as a panacea for all issues that emanated from economic, social, and cultural diversification prevalent in the country. But, over a period, the continuous usage of this ideal policy has created its own problem — a divide on religious line.
Its glaring manifestation came to light during three funeral processions that drew huge crowds of mourners with a sign of polarization written largely on every procession. Two of these funerals belonged to the persons whose popularity transcended the border of the country while the third one remained a popular figure within a particular segment of the society.
Despite being popular, all these funerals raised multiple controversies that went viral throughout the country. These funerals were for Mumtaz Qadri, Abdul Sattar Edhi, and Asma Jahangir. Two of them were symbols of peace, love for humanity, and justice for a large number of people but the third one was exactly opposite of them.
The great philanthropist, Abdul Sattar Edhi, was honored with state funeral attended by the then chief of army in recognition of the services he had indiscriminately extended to the humanity. Another person whose demise was mourned by most of the state institutions as well as by a large number of people was the world renown lawyer and human rights activist, Asma Jahangir. The funerals of these two great personalities of the country were overwhelmingly covered by the media with words of accolades, admirations, and appreciations for the great services they had rendered to the country.
The only noticeable difference is that what was once a dividing point for the followers of two religions in the undivided India has now become a dividing issue for the followers of the same religion. As the division of the country seems to be no longer possible, the only option left with the country is: ‘which camp do we want to represent our country — the Mumtaz Qadri camp or Edhi-Asma camp?’
The funeral of the third person, Mumtaz Qadri, was unique on many counts. It was a funeral of a person who was condemned to death by the Supreme Court for taking the life of the person he had taken an oath to protect. Despite carrying such a negative blot on his person, the funeral of Mumtaz Qadri had attracted more than 100,000 mourners, larger than the funeral processions of Abdul Sattar Edhi and Asma Jahangir. Majority of the mourners attending Mumtaz Qadri’s funeral belonged to religious parties and groups as well as the people from lawyer’s community. Some of the participants even went into rampage, ransacking the property and beating the media reporters.
For the admirers of Abdul Sattar Edhi and Asma Jahangir, these iconic personalities are a source of inspiration to carry out works that can serve humanity and bring justice to the oppressed and voiceless people. In contrast, the personality of Mumtaz Qadri is a source of motivation for his admirers to follow a path that was declared by the Supreme Court of Pakistan as illegal, irreligious, and inhuman. A sense of fear and death is another aspect that symbolizes the person of Mumtaz Qadri.
Soon after announcing the death verdict, the Judge Pervaiz Ali Shah had to leave for Saudi Arabia along with his family because of death threats he had received. Two days after the funeral, an Ahmadi man, Qamarul Zia, was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Sheikhupura district’s Kot Abdul Malik by two assailants. A week after Qadri was hanged, a suicide blast rocked the Sessions Court in Charsadda district that was claimed to have been carried out by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), terming it a response to Qadri’s hanging. From militants to religious parties, all appeared on one platform without any distinction.
No sign of a divided nation, after the great divide that had separated the Eastern part of the country, was so eminent as it was during these three funerals. The whole country appeared divided into two camps: Mumtaz Qadri camp and Edhi-Asma camp with both of them finding nothing appreciable or worth consideration that belongs to their opposite camp.
For Edhi-Asma group, the execution of Mumtaz Qadri was the right step after his crime was proven in the court of law while the other group defiantly talked against the court verdict and defined Mumtaz Qadri as an innocent person. Protesting against this execution, Karachi chief of Jamat-e-Islami, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, said, “We are very clear on our stance on Qadri. He is a hero. What he did was according to the Shariah. Salmaan Taseer, not Qadri, took the law in his hand. Taseer messed with God’s law.” Serious threats of people’s wraths were hurled at the President Mamnoon Hussain and the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Even the lawyers with right-wing tendency attended the funeral and condemned the Supreme Court for upholding the death sentence.
Similar differences resurfaced when the greatest humanitarian of the country, Abdul Sattar Edhi, breathed his last. All prominent religious leaders opted to stay away from his funeral and even the Chairman of Ruet-e-Halal Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rahman expressed his regret to lead this funeral for some personal reasons though nothing could withhold him in joining the Mumtaz Qadri’s funeral. All the humanitarian works performed by Edhi were of no value to the supporters of Mumtaz Qadri, they were rather condemnable because Edhi, as they perceived him, had often indulged into acts that were unethical and irreligious too. The same accusations are now being leveled against Asma Jahangir; from the funeral procession to the females’ participation in her funeral prayer and her religious beliefs are being questioned now by them to belittle her in any way possible.
These funerals, apart from all moral, ethical, and religious issues, were, in many ways, a true reflection of the country that is still pursuing the same religious agenda that was once a rallying point for its creation. The only noticeable difference is that what was once a dividing point for the followers of two religions in the undivided India has now become a dividing issue for the followers of the same religion. As the division of the country seems to be no longer possible, the only option left with the country is: “which camp do we want to be the representative of our country — Mumtaz Qadri camp or Edhi-Asma camp?”
The writer is a Senior Research Fellow, Center for Research and Security Studies