If we look it up in google, the definition of “Banana Republic” is about a poor country ruled by a corrupt government and dependent on an influx of foreign capital. Moreover, such a country is like heaven for the rich and powerful but hell for the poor. Lawlessness, injustice and lack of religious freedom and human rights are key components for such a state while the use of religion card is always at the top.
Now if we see our motherland, we can find all these qualities: corrupt politicians, unstable powerless government, lawlessness, injustice, fractured economy and at the top, use of religion card. When the current government came into power a few years ago, people had hope as the party’s manifesto clearly stated the aim to provide justice as the top priority, followed by ensuring the freedom of the press, depoliticising, and strengthening police, restructuring of educations system and much more but sadly nothing has been achieved. But yes, there is one big achievement: strengthening extremist groups in the name of religion.
Just imagine when they say “Madina ki Riyasat” (State of Madina), where the rise of extremism is at its peak and fanatics have no fear of anything. They can harass and kill anyone as they did recently in Sialkot. These are the people who have the “license to kill” and no law or force is capable to suspend or terminate it.
A banana republic is heaven for the rich and powerful but hell for the poor.
After the Sialkot incident, one thing is conveyed to the whole world that true Muslims can only be found in our motherland and lovers of the Holy Prophet only exist here while the rest of the Muslims especially those who were overseas are fake or you can call them hypocrites. “I totally agreed with this theory” because I live in America, we do not kill or harass non-Muslims here, we are friends with Shias and Ahmadis, we eat and pray with Christians and jews and we also have family relations with all of them and obviously it makes all of the use hypocrites”, right?
There is a huge population of fanatics here too in the United States who often try to spread hate among the communities, but they always fail. They also claim to be the real Muslims and lovers of the Holy Prophet, but they do not have the guts to harass or kill Ahmadis, Shias, Christians, Hindus or any other like they do in the motherland. If the real Muslim or the real lover of the Holy Prophet have no fear so what is the reason that these fanatics in America can not even say a single word to the Ahmadis, Shias, Christians, Hindus and to others? Let me tell you the real reason.
The real reason is “law and order,” justice and human rights. These hidden extremists’ minds do exist in America, but they have the fear of law. They know that even a single complaint will land them into prison, but I want to ask them what about the love for the Holy Prophet and what about your religion, sir?
Yes, this is the reason that these extremist groups are getting stronger day by day and transferring their extremists’ mentality into the young generation through literature and the internet in the motherland and there is no one to stop them because they know that no law is implementable on them. And you give them more power when you lift the ban on banned extremists’ organisations and distribute cash to them in public gatherings. And then in the end, you release pictures of them meeting with the most powerful “General” of the motherland.
The writer is a Washington-based journalist and author. He has been covering international politics and foreign policy for the last 15 years. He can be reached at [email protected] and tweets@JazzyARY.