Tolerance gets a beating

Shahzad Raza

Apetty argument between Muslim and Christian village simpletons in 2009 exposed the inherent flaws within Pakistan’s system. Not only did it cost the life of liberal-secular Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, it gave the extremists yet another “hero” and a tomb to worship.

 In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of Pakistan exonerated Asia Bibi, the same Christian woman, from blasphemy charges by setting aside the verdict of high court, which had upheld her death sentence awarded to her by a sessions court.

Out of personal grudge, her neighbour had accused Asia Bibi of using blasphemous language against Prophet Mohammed. Whether Asia Bibi was innocent or had actually committed the crime, she has been languishing in jail for the past nine years.

The judgment stirred unrest throughout the country. The fanatics, primarily belonging to Tehrik Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a religio-political party, choked the country for three days. In a televised address, Prime Minister Imran Khan had warned of stern action by the state. And then he left for China to seek financial assistance leaving the matter to be dealt by his associates.

Meanwhile, a prominent religio-political leader Maulana Samiul Haq was murdered. His followers could not travel to attend his funeral because all major arteries were chocked by the protestors. While the TLP is a right-wing Barelavi outfit, the slain Samiul Haq represented the more radical Deobandi segment. Both the government and the TLP realised an imminent Barelvi-Deoband clash. The government team thought it absolutely necessary to strike a bargain with the protestors at whatever the cost and the written agreement was diametrically opposite to what Imran Khan had announced in his speech. 

Under the agreement, the government promised to place Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List so that she could not leave Pakistan. It also agreed to release all TLP workers while the TLP apologised to the people “if any inconvenience was caused to the public during its protest.”

This apology was a slap on the face of state institutions and a big disappointment for millions of peaceful Pakistanis. It once again cemented the notion that violent mobs could get away with anything. Would that apology bring back those who were dead? Would it compensate those who had lost their property? Would it erase the torment that the people endured during the traffic jams?

 The TLP got prominence last year with a three-week sit-in at Islamabad’s main entry point. After the civil government failed to resolve the crisis, the army got the matter resolved. A senior general was also seen distributing money among the protesters. Leveraging its new-found power, the TLP bagged over 20 lakh votes in the 2018 polls — much more than the traditional religious parties. 

 Over the past decade intolerance has spiked in Pakistan. People with different ideological opinions were not acceptable. They were killed, forced to leave the country or not allowed to return to their motherland. Benazir Bhutto, Salman Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti, Bashir Bilous, Haroon Bilaour, etc. were just a few of the prominent victims. Several lawyers were assassinated because they had publically opposed the misuse of blasphemy law.

 People thought the government of Imran Khan would try to revive the good old liberal values of the Pakistani society. Their hopes were shattered after the government withdrew the nomination of Atif Mian, a prominent Pakistani-American economist, from an advisory council. The only crime Atif Mian committed was that he was born in an Ahmadi family. 

 — The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist