It’s strange that persecution of religious minorities is sanctioned neither by the tenets of Islam nor the sacred constitution of our beloved Pakistan, yet it is still the immediate, knee jerk reaction of Muslims in this Islamic Republic for real as well as perceived offences against our religion. And so it is, once again, in Ghotki where an enraged mob gutted a Huindu temple -some reports say three – because of allegations, still unproven, that one particular Hindu teacher in one particular school was found blaspheming; that, too, if one particular student’s account is to be taken at face value. Perhaps it is some consolation that the accused was spared the usual mob lynching; which is almost always the drop scene in such ugly real-life dramas. According to the police, security personnel were able to take the teacher to an undisclosed location pending official investigation even though the best they could do about the destruction of the temple(s), and other government property, was watch quietly from the side as always. And Additional Inspector General Sukkur, Jamil Ahmed, can pat himself on the back for a job well done all he wants, but surely his “situation in Ghotki is back to normal” tweet was a touch premature, to say the least. Registering cases against 23 named and 20 unnamed offenders for vandalism and rioting is all very nice, but what of the people whose businesses and lives have just been ruined? The suffering of Ghotki’s minorities, especially Hindus, is hardly new. For long they have faced isolated, crowding out of the business environment and forced conversions. Now, with yet more pressure on the community, their lot is hardly going to be any better just because the AIG thinks things are back to normal. Also, far more importantly, now that there is a new government overlooking the security apparatus, perhaps someone will give some thought to training the police force to prepare for just such incidents. Why, for example, does the system spring into action only after people have been killed or places of worship and shops and businesses destroyed? The matter, at the end of the day, is one of political will. It is no secret that governments don’t want to touch the blasphemy-reform issue with a ten-foot pole out of fear of angering the far right clergy. Sadly, it is not the latter’s principled stance on the issue as much as their penchant for violence and killing that proves the decisive deterrent. But shouldn’t governments, by definition, hold the monopoly on violence, and exercise that right whenever its writ is reduced to ashes, along with shops, offices and temples? Whether anybody likes it or not, the Ghotki incident will prove to be a litmus test for the government. Either we will finally take this bull by the horns now or forever run and hide from it. *