Some sense

And a lot more nonsense

It makes sense for the Supreme Court to take notice of the sectarian problem, finally. First, when the problem first burst on the national stage a couple of decades ago, law enforcement agencies were expected to control it. But they didn’t, and it later appeared that the sectarian slaughter was but one unintended consequence of powerful agencies maintaining proxies for strategic depth purposes, even if this was the decade of democracy. And as the years went on, religious outfits openly carrying out mass murder not only strengthened, but increased. Until the present situation was reached, when large sections of the society have been brainwashed into accepting them and their agenda as a permanent part of Pakistan. Minorities have few options; wait for their turn to stare down the barrel, or leave the country.

Earlier, in the days of former CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry’s media joyride and subsequent suo moto obsession, numerous efforts were made to bring minorities’ plight to the action-man’s notice, but no cigar. Therefore, it is all the more appreciated that CJ Jilani has asked for protection of minority worship places, job quotas, task force for life protection; the whole nine yards. It is also instructive that the Sindh additional advocate general implied, in the court, that desecration of minorities’ worship places did not really amount to blasphemy, but was quickly reminded why it did, and must never be allowed to happen again. The court has recommended, among other things, a revision of school curricula, to instill more understanding and tolerance for other religions and representations.

But important as such steps are, the state seems forever locked in the two-steps-back posture. The matter of the FO ‘disowning’ Pakistani refugees currently detained in Sri Lanka is a case in point. If it wasn’t bad enough that our nationals have to routinely seek asylum elsewhere because of the state’s inability to provide security of life, etc, it is even worse that we disassociate with people that do so. Instead of leaving them to their fate, it must be investigated why Pakistani nationals are forced to seek help abroad. As usual, some sense and much nonsense go hand in hand in Pakistan.