Whether it’s the brutal murder of more than 140 students and their teachers at APS Peshawar or the last week’s attack on Bacha Khan University, our rhetoric remains the same: there is no difference between good and bad terrorists, and their facilitators are equally culprits. But who can trust such empty oratory when facts keep hitting us every now and then?
We see state on the retreat when Syed Salahuddin of United Jihad Council openly threatens the Pakistani government of dire consequences of taking action against JeM. No one knows where is Azhar Masood of JeM who is blamed for PathanKot airbase attack. Lal Masjid is another open wound right in the heart of Islamabad. Ch Nisar, Federal Interior Minister, spends most of his energies to convince National Assembly members of Maulana Abdul Aziz’s innocence. The Lal Masjid cleric shows no remorse on siding with Taliban and Daesh, instead he challenges the state to arrest him. Banned sectarian outfits keep operating freely all across the country just by changing their names, though in some cases even that formality is also not fulfilled. It’s the state who has strengthened the hands of religious extremists by not touching the controversial amendments military dictator Zia-ul-Haq made in the constitution. We see a leading mouth organ of a religious party, Urdu daily Ummat, publishing articles condemning Supreme Court’s verdict on Mumtaz Qadri’s appeal for acquittal. But the charge of blasphemy moves with full force to target new victims — a young boy chops his own hand to avoid charge of blasphemy.
Anyone thinks we will ever recover from the clutches of faith-sellers who always enjoy bloodbath to portray it’s for the sake of Divine. We need to get out of these contradictions and make up our mind if this country was founded to terrorise its own citizens. On paper, the answer may be no, but out in the field it’s a big YES!
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia