The holier than thou Imran Khan is still busy infusing a sense of victimhood in our national psyche. Now he is actually calling on the Army to help enforce the Supreme Court’s orders. What’s next? Calling on a military junta to summarily punish all ‘corrupt politicians’? He is still calling himself a democrat. You have got to love free speech. Apart from the obvious good that it facilitates, it makes you appreciate that the ridiculous definitely has its place in life. The PTI website actually claims plans to achieve ‘full literacy in Pakistan in five years’. Don’t laugh. So, Khan calls on the military to take on a more pro-active role and thinks he can divert funds from their coffers? He really should share those plans.
After having sifted through all the hate mail last week, I am ready for more. PTI’s party line seems to be, well, not to have a line but listing all problems. But surely one can question where the solution is? And of course it is a politician’s job to provide a detailed plan. If someone’s idea of a good politician is an individual who promised a hospital and built it (commendable, no doubt) then Lord help us. Governance is different than philanthropy. It actually requires a plan – it involves more than two buildings and a nation-wide tour asking for donations. It involves even more than good intentions and simple honesty. Should Ibrar-ul-Haq form a party and run for office because of the Sahara Trust? Of course, he has the right to run for office. But does philanthropic work mean he actually has a plan for governance? Of course, not.
Khan’s supporters and I may never agree but freedom for our thoughts is essential. In this debate that must be preserved. Pakistan often behaves like an insecure individual lacking the moral courage to engage with questions that go to the core of its existence. We need to start searching for and speaking to its soul if we are to save ours and that of our future generations. Certain fundamental issues remain unaddressed and have caused generations of confusion. These include our patience (or lack thereof) for democratic politics, the place of religion in our constitutional framework, questions of equal citizenship etc. All these issues will involve contentious debates. Now is the time to start having them. And whereas freedom for the thought that we may hate is essential, freedom for the thought that propagates hate must have limits.
In recent months, many leaders of ostensibly banned militant organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan have walked free from the courts of Pakistan. There is no doubt a depressing failure on the part of the prosecutors as well as an apparent reluctance on the part of the judiciary to bring these proponents of sectarian and religious hatred to justice. The executive, particularly in the Punjab, must take greater responsibility too. When the Punjab Law Minister was asked about his links with a banned outfit, his reply was simply that ‘no such outfit exists anymore’. He could not deny his links with the individuals who were previously a part of such banned outfits. And therein is the problem. Simply banning an organisation without any concrete action to deal with individual members is analogous to closing down training camps for suicide bombers and letting the potential bombers roam free. It is not the entity that is the problem. It is what they preach and the agents they recruit. It is the speech and not the banner that matters.
Bans can only be a short-term solution. In order to counter the message of hate we need to adopt a more engagement-oriented framework for dealing with the poison spreading through the veins of this country.
All provinces should take a leaf out of the ANP’s book which is busy framing a law for registering and regulating Madrassahs in the KPK along with their curriculum’s reform. Till now the KPK government has been successful in inspiring confidence of all stakeholders. Numerous consultations have taken place with religious scholars, mainstream educationists and Madrassah teachers to hear all points of view. Unlike Musharraf’s law on Madrassah registration framed behind closed doors, this is the first open debate on the issue in any province. The KPK government is also inviting moderate religious scholars to step forward and join the government’s drive to fight ideas of hate with ideas based on respect for human life.
Others can not only adopt this model but take it a step further by working out a mechanism to ensure that regular summer camps/other platforms bring together kids from regular schools and Madrassahs. This will facilitate dialogue and provide our youth (the privileged/insulated as well as the marginalised factions) a picture of how certain sections of our society think and live. Most important is to know where certain ideas could lead those sections and eventually us.
No longer can we remain disengaged. The essential idea is engagement. When people meet and disagree, a small number always looks for solutions and the sincere among them find those solutions. Let us begin the conversation so at least we realise the problems. It will not happen overnight but neither can our problems be wished away. They are here to stay and that is reason enough to get talking.
The writer is a Barrister and has a special interest in Anti-trust/Competition law. He can be reached at wmir.rma@gmail.com