Daily Times

We have a long and painful history of State’s patronage of corrupt practices, tax evasion, money power, and protection of forces of obscurantism that have been thriving on hatred, bigotry, militancy, intolerance and terrorism. Undoubtedly, what we are facing today in the corridors of power and on the streets are wages of the State’s policy of appeasement towards the corrupt and religious fanatics. Even after seven decades of independence, the State is captive in the hands of those who nakedly and blatantly abuse power for self-aggrandisement considering themselves as above law.

Any government deviating from rule of law and showing apathy towards the have-nots is bound to fail. Corrupt politicians, devious civil-military bureaucrats and unscrupulous businessmen have mercilessly looted the country’s resources and stashed huge wealth abroad—unfortunately, the Supreme Court in a suo muto case fell short of exposing nexus of dual nationality and flight of money abroad. The majority of parliamentarians lie on oath that their only source of income is “salary”—the lavish living standard they enjoy openly contradicts it. Many of them concealed dual citizenship/dual nationality and Supreme Court disqualified some of them—many others may meet the same fate in the coming days.

The military and civil governments throughout our history acted irresponsibly and result is existence of troopers of various sects resorting to aggressive proselytizing. Ubiquitous armed police, on mosque-protection duties, watch warily from tops of minarets converted into watch towers. Mosques, proliferating more than ever, resemble ancient fortresses with battlements to ward off attack. The loudspeakers thunder hate speeches on full volume in open defiance of law—even little is understood because every loudspeaker-equipped mosque is clustered by another across the street with the same decibel count and its own strident mullah. The wages of bigotry are now showing ugliest results where in the name of religion, zealots are killing fellow citizens, especially the minorities.

The fitna (mischief) and fisad-fil-ardh (disorder) having sectarian connotation and attacks on minorities engulfed Pakistan through the 1980s and 1990s. The situation continues in 2000s and going from bad to worse especially after entering into politics of extreme religious groups, openly defying the Constitution of Pakistan, like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Milli Muslim League (MML) etc . Those at the helm of affairs will have to take emergent and remedial measures, if we have to halt further catastrophe.

What the nation witnessed on October 31, 2018 and afterwards was not new. In the past as well, on many occasions, there was a message/warning that “tomorrow a protest has been planned by religious zealots, so please try not to venture outdoors. It will not be safe”. How long will people ask their offspring, friends and relatives prior to such protests to remain at home, especially when issue is that of what the protestors claim to be of defending the “Faith”?

How long will we close schools out of fear? The most apt warning about such self-styled custodians of “Faith” has been given in the holy Quran: When they are asked to refrain from spreading ‘fasad’ (disorder) on the Earth, they retort audaciously: “We do not spread ‘fasad’ (disorder); rather we are the musleheen (reformers). Beware of them! Unquestionably, they are the mufsideen (troublemakers) but pose as musleheen—Al-Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah (the Cow) 2:11 & 12.

While a majority of urbanites and town dwellers remain indoors on such occasions, the question is who are the ones we see on the roads? How come thousands of persons equipped with batons and/or arms are out on foot or on vehicles? The next important question is how can they lockdown the cities and towns? Why do they act like hooligans, aggressively and destructively? Why cannot they wage their protest peacefully without disrupting law and order? Why do their leaders indulge in sedition and provoke others to attack institutions and destroy private properties? Many of their ghastly acts attract Chapter VI of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 containing provisions inter alia dealing with conspiracies against the State. Where is the writ of the State? Premier Imran Khan issued timely warning to the miscreants in his address to the nation on October 31, 2018—it is high time that the State and all major (non-religious) political parties should stand firmly and give up policies of appeasement towards fanatics and miscreants.

The loudspeakers thunder hate speeches on full volume in open defiance of law-even little is understood because every loudspeaker-equipped mosque is clustered by another across the street with the same decibel count and its own strident mullah

Due to wrong policies of Ziaul Haq and his cronies, the entire nation became hostage to religious bigots. It is time for the State to give up criminal negligence in protecting lives and properties of the citizens. The deeper issue is that of failure to provide basic facilities like housing, clean drinking water, health, educations etc—the core reason for hijacking of the innocent by the clergy. The Prime Minister must concentrate on this aspect and also purge his party from elements like Azam Swati et al who are engaged in undesirable practices and have been patronising the fanatics.

The most fundamental issue is of education. Look at deeni madrassas, providing food, shelter, education and clothing to about 243,906 students (204,067 male and 39,839 females), representing poorest of the poor. If the State cannot provide even primary education to all the children—Article 25A of the Constitution says: “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law”—the vacuum has to be filled by somebody. After inserting Article 25A, vide 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010, both the federal and provincial governments have gone to sleep and neither have as yet ensured uniform and free education for all children up to high school.

The madrassas in the name of religion get hefty donations from the rich who do not pay due taxes, while the State merely acts like a silent spectator—it has failed to collect taxes from the rich, is least pushed to carrying out its duty of providing health, education, security to its citizens and ensuring many fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Resultantly, the State is in perpetual chaos. Any hope for a positive change in the near future appears bleak as the ruling classes and clergy has common interests of keeping the masses poor and ignorant so that their control remains unchallenged.

The writer, Advocate Supreme Court, is Adjunct Faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Email: ikram@huzaimaikram.com; Twitter: @drikramulhaq

Published in Daily Times, November  4^th 2018.