Daily Times

The Punjab government is on its knees once more. Prostrating before Khadim Hussain Rizvi. Promising him his heart’s desire. No matter that the courts have declared him an absconder. And the more the state gives in, the more unstable will Pakistan’s post-election trajectory be.

The Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) has already contested two by-polls. Presently, it has its eyes firmly set on this summer’s prize. And it appears, for all intents and purposes, to be using these sit-ins as part of its election campaign. In fact, the party has proved itself to be entirely enterprising in the way in which it has the government virtually conceded on live television to all its demands. For as things currently stand, Pakistanis likely have a better understanding of what the TLP mandate is as compared to any other political set-up. Indeed, even Imran Khan could learn a thing or two from the latter’s dharna prowess.

Among the TLP’s ongoing appeals are the dropping of all charges against its members in connection with last year’s Faizabad lockdown. But perhaps most significant is how it continues to insist that the Raja Zafarul Haq report be made public. The Centre constituted this after Rizvi made it clear that his party would not ‘buy’ the line that the controversial amendment to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat declaration for electoral candidates in the Elections Act, 2017, was a mere clerical error. Similarly, the firebrand cleric is not satisfied with having already had the Law minister’s head on a stick — he wants to see the Punjab’s Rana Sanaullah appear before seven mullahs to reaffirm his faith following his non-anti-Ahmadi comments.

The time has come for the provincial set-up to put its foot down. It may or may not wish to seek COAS counsel to try and get to the bottom of who is ‘engineering’ these staged protests; which undoubtedly fall into the anti-state realm. This, in turn, could shed some light on why the law enforcement agents are having such a hard time in arresting Rizvi. But above and beyond everything, the Punjab government must stop running scared. For its job is to ensure that the breathing space for diversity of ideas and freedom of thought does not shrink any further. This is crucial. For the memory of Mashal Khan and students throughout the country. Yet this is not happening. Instead, professors at particular government universities are being sacked unceremoniously or else cautioned by the security establishment to ‘back off’ from controversial issues. Such as engaging with the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). Or providing intellectual support to students interested in questions of Baloch separatism.

Thus Ahsan Iqbal, the man at the Interior, got it wrong the wrong way round when he dismissed last week’s TLP protests as pointless given the government’s prior surrendering. For the matter of concern should surely be how ineffectual this has proved.  *

Published in Daily Times, April 15^th 2018.