I had to write about something else today but, as I began writing, internet newsfeeds started buzzing with the horrific attack on the Ismaili community in Karachi. That I call the attack horrific may sound too clichéd now for the demons we sowed in the past, particularly in the eventful 1980s, wreak havoc every passing day. At the time of writing, the latest death toll stands at 44 and Jundullah has claimed responsibility for the brutality. In this killing, havoc in the name of religion in the ‘land of the pure’ continues.
Jundullah is a militant group linked with the Taliban, active in Balochistan and even in Iranian border areas. The group has close ties to Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and has an ideology that revolves around Shia killing. The group has been in the news for over a decade for attacks against the Hazara community and terrorist activities in Iranian territory. Recently, its name was in the news for the assassination of Sabeen Mahmud as well. All these details remain irrelevant for Jundullah is a monster that needs to be tamed but, more importantly, it is the monster we ourselves created in the name of jihad.
What is even more ironic is that a Pakistan created by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a born Ismaili then turned Twelver Shia, through a Muslim League founded by Sir Aga Khan and created in the name of Islam has become a place where the followers of Ismaili or Shia Islam are not considered Muslims anymore. They, for the militias and gangs running amok, are fair game for being ‘heretics’, according to the assassins. One may find it disturbing but for a country bent on flouting religiosity, this irony was bound to happen.
Now what will follow will be the standard clichéd responses: those who committed this act of barbarity cannot be Muslims, the state will deal with these militants and will make an example of them, the time has come to take tough decisions. What will follow will be the same indecision, inaction, compromises and business as usual. Starting tomorrow, focus will again be on electoral rigging, commissions, kickbacks, privatisations or lack of, how generals are the bastions of national glory or how they colluded with foreigners to compromise national security and peace. Sound bites of “these acts of terror are caused by drone strikes or the war on terror” have mellowed down but there will be birdies to constantly chirp away at this mantra. In the noise and chaos we will forget about today’s tragedy and our eyes will remain shut until another such tragedy strikes again in some other part of Pakistan against the Shias, Christians, Ahmedis, Ismailis, children, women, polio workers or foreigners. Then the trumpets will blow again, leading to another lull.
We, the pigeons with eyes wide shut, are riding a vehicle that is heading towards the edge of a cliff. Rather than opening our eyes, seeing the obvious and asking the right questions, we are too fearful to even look at the monster we face. Maybe, just maybe, now is the time to consider that there is something fundamentally wrong with our foundation. Maybe it is time to consider that a nation state that claims religion to be its reason for creation is bound to turn exclusionist. Consider this: we started with Hindu versus Muslim. Then it became Ahmedi versus Muslim. Beyond that, now comes the question of Shia versus Sunni. Next up, and the contours of it are very visible already, will be the question of Barelvi versus Deobandi versus Salafi. A state married to religion will always play into the hands of people who have a monopoly over interpreting it and will always lead to a divisive and polarised society fuelled by different religious interpreters.
Maybe it is time to consider that a state in the name of religion will always have religion taking precedence over affairs of the state and the social order. Maybe it is time to consider that despite the failings of the political class, it is the Rangers force that has been the only constant in Karachi’s security since the 1980s and maybe it is time for the security apparatus to assess and analyse its own failings, and evaluate what is wrong with the approach it has opted for.
Pakistan is here to stay. In 70 years, social, political and economic bonds have made it more viable than anyone could have imagined at the time of its creation. Agreed, it was created as a separate state for the Muslims of the subcontinent but it was also created because, in united India, a significant minority felt threatened. Prosperity, inclusion, equality, social justice, sanctity of life and resistance to violence can be a perfect raison d’être for our nation. The majority of this country is Muslim and their piety does not require those including and excluding people in the fold of religion or having authority to define virtue and vice. Their moral compass was intact when the British ruled this country and it will remain intact in a Pakistan where religion is not used as a tool for exploitation and power by the vested interest. The Muslims of Pakistan do not need the state to keep them pious. In the meantime, they would be better off if the state indiscriminately provides them with social justice, peace and security. It is time to reclaim the state from those who have monopolised authority over religion and are using it to wreak havoc on us. The first step will be for the state to leave religion to individuals and enforce basic civic laws indiscriminately across religions, ethnicities and regions, and without any compromises in the name of national security or strategic depth.
The author can be reached on twitter at @aalimalik