The holy month of Ramazan teaches tolerance and respect for others, including the poor and the infirm. Too frequently, however, the spirit of the Ramazan is forgotten by some overzealous people who self-righteously seek to enforce respect for the Muslim fast. Too often there is an unfortunate resort to violence. Too often a distinction is not made between Muslims and non-Muslims. Too often the condition and circumstances of those suspected of giving deliberate offence are not taken into account.
The ignorant attitude was again on display in Sukkur on Thursday as some activists took the law in their hands without regard to public health issues stemming from climatic changes. Armed men, it was reported, attacked a heatstroke centre, established by the Sukkur Municipal Corporation, at Ayub Gate. At gunpoint, they forced the staff in charge to close the facility at gunpoint.
Several centres of the kind have been set up across the province following a warning from the weather pundits that temperatures might soar unexpectedly and exposure might lead to heat strokes. In parts of Sindh the mercury actually shot up to 47 degrees Celsius. The government was mindful of the deadly impact of a similar heat wave that killed 70 people in Karachi in 2018 and up to 400 people in 2015. However, the group attacking the heatstroke centre was not listening.
The activists’ main concern was the breach of the Ehteram-i-Ramazan Ordinance, 1981, which forbids eating and drinking at public places during the fasting hours. The Zia-era law admits no respite for patients, the elderly or the children. The law was amended in the Punjab to enhance the fine from Rs 500 to Rs 50,000 for a violation. There may be an argument that the law of the land must be followed even when it rationale is doubtful. The authorities could possibly have set up the facility in a covered space to avoid the display of ice and iced-water. However, even this does not justify the display of weapons and the firing in the air to intimidate and harass people. Any objection to the arrangements could have been taken to the authorities in a non-violent manner and would have been more in keeping with the spirit of Ramazan.
Following the attack, the Sukkur authorities have been forced to close down five centres. Such behaviour is not going to stop if the government does not take stern action against the outfit preferring a show of power even at the cost of public health.
The government is also due for action against those hindering polio vaccination. Three polio vaccinators have been shot dead and several thousand families have refused polio drops this year. The time and circumstances demand that law take its course. *