Daily Times

Deep silence is all around three weeks after. No one asks anyone about the outcome of the hundreds of arrests made by the government after the violent protests by the Tahreek Labiak Pakistan (TLP) against the Supreme Court verdict to acquit Asia Bibi in the infamous blasphemy case eight years after. Even the TLP leadership was silent when the crackdown was on against its workers and supporters. Rather they disassociated themselves from the violent mob and its workers despite the fact that the mob turned violent after the inciting speeches by the TLP leadership. Isn’t reciprocal?

Still afresh that foul and derogatory language was used against the government and the three Supreme Court judges who acquitted Asia Bibi of the blasphemy case. The TLP leadership also issued a fatwa that the killing of these three judges and government that owned the judgement would be legitimate. They also asked the ‘Muslim army men’ to revolt against the present command terming them non-Muslim. In three days, Pakistan’s economy suffered losses over PKR 123 billion, as reported in the media.

The government promised to calculate the damages done by the protestors to the assets and properties of the general public and the government. As many as 11 cases were also registered against the TLP leadership for all the incitement, violence and damages done. The entire untoward situation was ended on a lame agreement between the TLP leadership and the government. The agreement followed crackdown on the TLP workers and supporters. Hundreds of them were arrested as the government claimed and the cases were registered against them.

Strangely, the TLP leadership remained silent except thin-voiced statements against the government. No harsh language was used against the government. No threats on life of the arresters. No violence afterwards. A layman’s question is if the TLP leadership was taken into confidence that the action against their workers and supporters would end up with no punishment at all; and there would no action against the TLP leadership on their seditious, rebellious and provocative speeches against the state institutions.

All common citizens are waiting for the outcome of the government action taken against the protestors and payments for the losses and damages done to their assets and properties.

We the plain folks of Pakistan can wait for a few more days to see action against the TLP leadership of religiously motivated perpetration of violence and incitement against state institutions, damage to the assets and properties of the general public. We cannot accept anymore the allegations of discrimination on our honourable judges and the Supreme Court of Pakistan

Not only is the government is silent on it, state institutions are too. No one from the army insisted on action against the TLP leadership. The honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian SaqibNisar, who is known for soumoto notices on injustice, corruption and high-handedness, also remained silent since then. No soumoto on lame fatwas and incitement against the state and state institutions. No admonition of the government for their sluggishness on the cases against the perpetrators of violent protests.

Media scene changes every day with run of the mill sort of news stories that only excite the viewers for the media ranking race. No consistent follow-up of the stories of national interest. Many are left behind just to save skins of their own or to serve their vested or commercial interests or to make the top-shots happier. It is no more a responsibility of anyone responsible to take decisions and act upon in the best interest of the public at large. Even the state institutions are influenced or impacted by the political hegemony, personal likes and dislikes or vendetta or infatuated priorities.

The end-result is more addition to the miseries of general public, social deterioration, religious extremism and economic devaluation. The country would not be moving forward until the strict action is taken with sincere honesty and across the border. Sacred cows shall be taken to task under similar laws and statues as the common animals go through of.

Many of the intelligentsia in the country believe that we are reaching close to the state of civil war. The discriminatory use of power by the government agencies and state intuitions is leading to further segregation in the society. Political, socio-economic or religious, the segregation is turning to an intensely dangerous state. Manoeuvring and exploitation by the perpetrators of violence for their vested interests is becoming easier day by day. Responsibility for all the ills lies only on the shoulders of the institutions responsible to combat the situation.

Speaking to a group of journalists in London, where he is on a personal visit, the CJP Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said: “Wait for a few days.” He was responding to a question that Supreme Court of Pakistan takes no time to summon politicians for their remarks against the superior judges or the verdicts of the Supreme Court. But no action has been taken against the TLP leadership so far who directly threatened the judges on their lives by issuing a fatwa to kill three judges who acquitted Asia Bibi in the blasphemy case, and incited against the army and government.

The CJP, however, shall be given credit to openly admitting that the case of Asia Bibi showed how the justice system failed to deliver on merit, depriving people of their due right to justice and fairness. The CJP made these remarks during his meeting with a group of British-Pakistani parliamentarians who had invited him for a tour of the British parliament.

Justice Nisar has rightly said that Pakistan’s justice system is fractured and it needs reforms so that it could be made relevant to the modern world for dispensation of speedy and quality justice to citizens of Pakistan. He claimed to be a person who would not shy to accept his error on the part of his institution. It’s indeed great of him.

Honourable CJP: We the plain folks of Pakistan can wait for a few more days to see action against the TLP leadership of religiously motivated perpetration of violence and incitement against state institutions, damage to the assets and properties of the general public. We cannot accept anymore the allegations of discrimination on our honourable judges and the Supreme Court of Pakistan. My Lord, you are done wonderful advocacy and awareness-raising on the need of water reservoirs and dams in the country. We the common citizens of Pakistan appreciate your soumoto notices against the wrong doings.  Shall we expect a soumoto notice against the courts where millions of the cases are pending and people are suffering for decades?

The writer is an Islamabad-based policy advocacy, strategic communication and outreach expert. He can be reached at devcom.pakistan@gmail.com. He tweets @EmmayeSyed

Published in Daily Times, November 24^th 2018.