A trap like no other
Pandering to extremism
Last month, the State of Pakistan perhaps made one of its biggest blunders when it surrendered to religious extremists. A lot has already been written in the media about the Faizabad dharna (sit-in) but as a Pakistani, one still cannot come to terms with the way it all unfolded.
The elections bill 2017 was framed by a joint parliamentary committee over a period of three years and more than a 100-odd meetings in order to reach a consensus. A slight amendment was made in an oath pertaining to the Khatam-e-Nabuwat (Finality of Prophethood) clause in the Elections Act 2017, which was agreed upon by the government and other political parties. Not many would have even noticed it had it not been for a senator who pointed it out and started a debate on a tricky and sensitive issue. The government mishandled the situation. Instead of explaining the minor change in a proper context, the government panicked. From the law minister to the interior minister, everyone from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz started to give statements about his/her love for Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Punjab chief minister, Shehbaz Sharif, even asked for the resignation of those responsible for this amendment. Apart from a few honourable exceptions, the Opposition parties either watched quietly or added fuel to the fire. A sit-in was staged in the capital, Islamabad, where a religious mob led by the Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah demanded the resignation of the federal law minister, Zahid Hamid. The Punjab government led by the brother of the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was responsible for facilitating the TLY caravan's safe passage into the capital.
The government restored the clause to its original form owing to pressure from religious groups. The leader of the Opposition, Aitzaz Ahsan, was one of the few who questioned this submission. In his speech in the Senate, Ahsan said: "The law is being passed under pressure and in the atmosphere of fear from the protesters who are staging a sit-in at the Faizabad Interchange of Islamabad. This practice will encourage other pressure groups to come, hold sit-ins and force parliament to pass laws of their choice."
Hamid had to release a video on the social media reiterating that he was a Muslim who firmly believed in the Finality of Prophethood and that he was not an Ahmadi. Pakistan's Constitution declared Ahmadis 'non-Muslims' back in 1974. Since then, the persecution of the Ahmadiyya community has known no bounds. The minor amendment in the Khatam-e-Nabuwat clause was blown out of proportion by the zealots as it was somehow seen as a 'concession' to the Ahmadiyya community which it really wasn't. Despite the clause being restored to its original form, the vitriol against the Ahmadis went to another level. The Ahmadiyya community had nothing to do with the changes but it will surely be the one that will suffer the most owing to it.
The Faizabad sit-in continued for three weeks. A botched operation was carried out against the protesters which only led to further chaos. News channels and the social media were shut down for a day because of the operation. The operation failed as the protesters were well-equipped while the police seemed clueless. The military refused to take any action against the agitators. Such is the sorry state of affairs in Pakistan that two policemen were even kidnapped by the TLY protesters and almost burnt alive before they were finally released. Lest we forget, this lot celebrated the murder of the Punjab governor, Salman Taseer, and their movement's hero is his murderer, Mumtaz Qadri. The protesters, led by Khadim Hussain Rizvi - a lesser-known cleric who rose to fame on account of this protest - ended the sit-in after all their demands were met. No action will be taken against the protesters as per the agreement. Hamid resigned. The military was the guarantor of the signed agreement between the government and the TLY. The State lost. The religious fanatics won. And the cycle continues.
Lahore had a parallel sit-in while all this was going on by another faction of the TLY, led by Ashraf Asif Jalali. The Punjab government, too, caved in to all its demands except for the resignation of the Punjab law minister, Rana Sanaullah. Sanaullah had made remarks regarding the Ahmadiyya community which, he says, were twisted by his political rivals. Five PML-N lawmakers announced their resignations in protest against government 'inaction' against Sanaullah. As Aitzaz Ahsan had predicted, giving in to one group's demands would lead to other pressure groups. Had the State not caved in to the TLY's demands, other groups would not have had a reason to blackmail the government. Bullies will always be bullies unless and until you stand up to them.
The helplessness one felt at our State's surrender to religious extremists cannot be described in words. It felt like a physical blow. When your lawmakers need to reaffirm their faith, it should worry everyone. Today, it is our lawmakers; tomorrow it could be us. Same is the case with nationalism.
Faux-nationalism is as bad as faux-religiosity. It reminds me of the recent accusation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his opponents, including the former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and the former vice-president, Hamid Ansari, are conspiring against him with Pakistan. Modi is not just accusing these people of treason; he is also being accused of fanning communalism by bringing up the Mughal era and/or highlighting the names of his Muslim opponents. Modi even mentioned an alleged Facebook post by a former Pakistan army officer who, to the best of my knowledge, never served in the army, to rile up emotions and establish the Pakistan connection in destabilizing his government. Even if for a moment we believe that he had served in the army, how is his personal Facebook post an evidence of some conspiracy being hatched by Pakistan? It is quite absurd that members of the Congress have to prove their nationalism because of these assertions. This should ring alarm bells for Indians. Those who question someone's nationalism are the same as those questioning someone's faith. Both have nefarious designs. Everyone should be wary of such forces and must fight obscurantism. Our nationalism and our religion is nobody's business. Period.
Pakistan is a prime example of how faux-nationalism and faux-religiosity can hurt the very fabric of society. I see the same happening in India with the passage of time. Giving in to religious hardliners, even slowly, will eventually lead to a fall so steep that it will be next to impossible to recover completely. Pandering to extremism - religious or otherwise - only makes things worse. Don't fall into that trap or there will be no turning back.
(Originally published in The Telegraph)
Last month, the State of Pakistan perhaps made one of its biggest blunders when it surrendered to religious extremists. A lot has already been written in the media about the Faizabad dharna (sit-in) but as a Pakistani, one still cannot come to terms with the way it all unfolded.
The elections bill 2017 was framed by a joint parliamentary committee over a period of three years and more than a 100-odd meetings in order to reach a consensus. A slight amendment was made in an oath pertaining to the Khatam-e-Nabuwat (Finality of Prophethood) clause in the Elections Act 2017, which was agreed upon by the government and other political parties. Not many would have even noticed it had it not been for a senator who pointed it out and started a debate on a tricky and sensitive issue. The government mishandled the situation. Instead of explaining the minor change in a proper context, the government panicked. From the law minister to the interior minister, everyone from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz started to give statements about his/her love for Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Punjab chief minister, Shehbaz Sharif, even asked for the resignation of those responsible for this amendment. Apart from a few honourable exceptions, the Opposition parties either watched quietly or added fuel to the fire. A sit-in was staged in the capital, Islamabad, where a religious mob led by the Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah demanded the resignation of the federal law minister, Zahid Hamid. The Punjab government led by the brother of the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was responsible for facilitating the TLY caravan's safe passage into the capital.
The government restored the clause to its original form owing to pressure from religious groups. The leader of the Opposition, Aitzaz Ahsan, was one of the few who questioned this submission. In his speech in the Senate, Ahsan said: "The law is being passed under pressure and in the atmosphere of fear from the protesters who are staging a sit-in at the Faizabad Interchange of Islamabad. This practice will encourage other pressure groups to come, hold sit-ins and force parliament to pass laws of their choice."
Hamid had to release a video on the social media reiterating that he was a Muslim who firmly believed in the Finality of Prophethood and that he was not an Ahmadi. Pakistan's Constitution declared Ahmadis 'non-Muslims' back in 1974. Since then, the persecution of the Ahmadiyya community has known no bounds. The minor amendment in the Khatam-e-Nabuwat clause was blown out of proportion by the zealots as it was somehow seen as a 'concession' to the Ahmadiyya community which it really wasn't. Despite the clause being restored to its original form, the vitriol against the Ahmadis went to another level. The Ahmadiyya community had nothing to do with the changes but it will surely be the one that will suffer the most owing to it.
The Faizabad sit-in continued for three weeks. A botched operation was carried out against the protesters which only led to further chaos. News channels and the social media were shut down for a day because of the operation. The operation failed as the protesters were well-equipped while the police seemed clueless. The military refused to take any action against the agitators. Such is the sorry state of affairs in Pakistan that two policemen were even kidnapped by the TLY protesters and almost burnt alive before they were finally released. Lest we forget, this lot celebrated the murder of the Punjab governor, Salman Taseer, and their movement's hero is his murderer, Mumtaz Qadri. The protesters, led by Khadim Hussain Rizvi - a lesser-known cleric who rose to fame on account of this protest - ended the sit-in after all their demands were met. No action will be taken against the protesters as per the agreement. Hamid resigned. The military was the guarantor of the signed agreement between the government and the TLY. The State lost. The religious fanatics won. And the cycle continues.
Lahore had a parallel sit-in while all this was going on by another faction of the TLY, led by Ashraf Asif Jalali. The Punjab government, too, caved in to all its demands except for the resignation of the Punjab law minister, Rana Sanaullah. Sanaullah had made remarks regarding the Ahmadiyya community which, he says, were twisted by his political rivals. Five PML-N lawmakers announced their resignations in protest against government 'inaction' against Sanaullah. As Aitzaz Ahsan had predicted, giving in to one group's demands would lead to other pressure groups. Had the State not caved in to the TLY's demands, other groups would not have had a reason to blackmail the government. Bullies will always be bullies unless and until you stand up to them.
The helplessness one felt at our State's surrender to religious extremists cannot be described in words. It felt like a physical blow. When your lawmakers need to reaffirm their faith, it should worry everyone. Today, it is our lawmakers; tomorrow it could be us. Same is the case with nationalism.
Faux-nationalism is as bad as faux-religiosity. It reminds me of the recent accusation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his opponents, including the former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and the former vice-president, Hamid Ansari, are conspiring against him with Pakistan. Modi is not just accusing these people of treason; he is also being accused of fanning communalism by bringing up the Mughal era and/or highlighting the names of his Muslim opponents. Modi even mentioned an alleged Facebook post by a former Pakistan army officer who, to the best of my knowledge, never served in the army, to rile up emotions and establish the Pakistan connection in destabilizing his government. Even if for a moment we believe that he had served in the army, how is his personal Facebook post an evidence of some conspiracy being hatched by Pakistan? It is quite absurd that members of the Congress have to prove their nationalism because of these assertions. This should ring alarm bells for Indians. Those who question someone's nationalism are the same as those questioning someone's faith. Both have nefarious designs. Everyone should be wary of such forces and must fight obscurantism. Our nationalism and our religion is nobody's business. Period.
Pakistan is a prime example of how faux-nationalism and faux-religiosity can hurt the very fabric of society. I see the same happening in India with the passage of time. Giving in to religious hardliners, even slowly, will eventually lead to a fall so steep that it will be next to impossible to recover completely. Pandering to extremism - religious or otherwise - only makes things worse. Don't fall into that trap or there will be no turning back.
(Originally published in The Telegraph)
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