Daily Times

‘Jinnah’s Pakistan’ — we have heard this phrase countless times. This is also because, on the face of extremism and terrorism, Pakistanis have always wanted to have a safe, tolerant and pluralistic country. This, for us, is what Jinnah had envisaged. But on the contrary, Pakistan has only seen an increase in religious fundamentalism and everything that Jinnah did not want in his country.

The recent developments have further reflected this acute problem more clearly. At first, an ink was thrown at Foreign Minister Khuwaja Asif during PML-N worker convention in Sialkot. The perpetrator is said to be a mosque’s imam. The perpetrator was immediately arrested for a brief time and was released after Khawaja Asif forgave him.

On the very next day, Nawaz Sharif was attacked with a shoe in Lahore’s Jamia Naeema. The attacker, after throwing the shoe, chanted ‘Labbaik Ya Rasoolallah’. A couple of people also repeated the same after him. The security forces nabbed all the people chanting.

The incidents met with vehement condemnation from political leaders with a public obloquy on social media. Quite expectedly, certain groups also appreciated the attacker.

This below the belt incidents have appeared in past as well. Apart from Pakistan, hurling shoe on the leaders has become an international fashion. It all began in 2008 with the George W Bush in Baghdad.

Previously, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal also became the victim of it.

Throwing objects at PML-N leaders in order to humiliate them appears t be a vicious attempt to discourage the party from participating in elections campaigning.

The ink, thrown at Khawaja Asif, has also left an indelible black spot on the face of us as a society. The events have left the political debates aside. It has forced everyone to ponder over the current trajectory of the society. And the glimpse was seen when a video started flooding all over social media where students of madaris were incited to celebrate the shoeing of a politician.

Sticking to the contemporary situation, it’s a third event of the same kind and on the ruling party. The perpetrators are said to have a close association with the newly created religious political party. And it belongs to a school of thought which is widely known to everyone. Therefore, the footprints are clear. Noon league is merely getting thrashed for executing Mumtaz Qadri and over Khatm-e-Nabuwat issue. And it gives the impression that politicians are petrified of taking them to the task. The leaders should overtly expose these rogue elements.

It’s unfortunate that our nation is the only Muslim country where Khatm-e-Nabuwat is an issue. No other Muslims country has ever witnessed such a controversy. This is due to the fact that certain groups have acquired the authority of dictating us the meaning and interpretation of Islam. This has given them an authority to issue fatwas, which are in reality political in nature and have nothing to do with the true message of religion. We have seen in past how clerics issued a fatwa against Benazir Bhutto and other leaders.

Nonetheless, whenever the clerics crossed their limits, the state remained silent. The state even succumbed to the pressure of religious groups and outlawed certain versions of Islam. It ultimately resulted in the lynching, burning and onslaught of minorities.

Religious extremism has always been a concern in this subcontinent. And our incompetent leaders haven’t paid much attention to it. In 70 years, the magnitude of the extremism has now reached a point where the state finds itself helpless and weak in dealing with it.

Religious extremism has always been a concern in the Sub-Continent, though our incompetent leaders haven’t paid much attention to it. In 70 years, the magnitude of this extremism has reached a point where the state finds itself helpless to do anything about it

In this context, a 22 days protest was carried in Faizabad over Khatm-e-Nabuwat issue. The slanderous words that were chanted cannot be aired on a TV or written in a newspaper. Generals, Judges and Politicians all were abused. What happened in the end? To diffuse the protest, state surrendered, signed a treaty and each protester was rewarded cash for spitting out flowers from the mouth, caustic. And the entire nation saw that on their Television screen. Ironically, this is the serving of Islam, berating derogatory remarks.

If such image is globally portrayed by a group of Islamic clerics, then obviously negative narrative will nourish in the West about Muslims.

Sadly, our state affairs have the structure where civilian PM is disgraced all day and all night. But a Moulvi sahib cannot appear before the courts to explain the reasons for abuse.

In this course, politicians have also contributed to sparking extremism (political). Currently, our society is polarized to an extent where a difference of opinion might take one’s life.

For example, after the unfortunate incident with Nawaz Sharif, two attempts shaped on Imran Khan. The attack in Faisalabad, media reported that the suspect was allegedly sent by the son-in-law of Rana Sanaullah. And another attack in Gujrat, the point of the target was Imran Khan but the shoe smacked on Aleem Khan who was standing beside. It’s too hapless that PMLN supporters are doing it to equate it with the pounce on Mr Sharif, in spite of knowing that he was not attacked by the PTI workers.

But the candour is politicians are sent to jail over derogatory remarks. However, the offenders of the Faizabad dharna still ramble around. It is because no deterrence is forged. And truly speaking state doesn’t have the courage to deal with such clerics.

What is clear is that our society needs a serious tending to have the tolerance of disagreeing. If it continues for more decades, then be prepared for further ‘state within a state’.

The writer is an academic. He tweets @muhd_hani

Published in Daily Times, March 20^th 2018.