Banning Valentine’s Day celebrations in Islamabad

Why Chaudhry Nisar is in the right

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is a no-nonsense, upright man. He is also a man of strong convictions. Whenever PML-N is in power, he is even more no-nonsense and upright – his convictions even stronger – than usual. He has been a fixture in all PML-N cabinets, and brings to the table a treasure trove of experience. Of him it can quite literally be said that he has not greyed his hair in the sun. He looks the part, both as the incumbent Interior Minister and the country’s top security tsar. On account of his extraordinary uprightness, however, he is sometimes misunderstood even by his friends and colleagues.

On February 10 – in his capacity as Interior Minister (or was it as the security tsar?) – he read the riot act to all potential Romeos and Juliets of Islamabad, and instructed the law enforcement agencies to launch a crackdown on any romantic activity on and around the Valentine’s Day. Consequent to this, a lot of scorn and ridicule was directed towards Nisar, unfairly, because he has, in my opinion, struck perfect balance here – while being rightly uncompromising on a matter of principle, he took care not be overly heavy-handed. The urge to follow the lead of the Hindu Mahasabha, which threatened to forcibly marry couples that publicly displayed affection on the day, must have been very strong. To his credit, Nisar resisted the temptation. Having been married for a quarter of a century himself, he realizes it better than most that the punishment must fit the crime.

In the following, I have listed some of the reasons why Nisar’s decision more than makes sense; and, by extension, why I believe he is being targeted for essentially doing the right thing.

1. The very suggestion of celebrating Valentine’s Day in Islamabad (literal meaning – the city of Islam) is in very bad taste. Definitely not under Nisar’s watch!
2. The banning took the wind right out of the Taliban’s sails, by sending a clear signal that when it comes to ideology we can be every bit as rigid, as unrelenting, and as concerned about the citizens’ Hereafter as the Taliban, if not more. Chaudhry Nisar has made it clear that he is not going to cede even an inch of this particular territory to Taliban or any other pretender. Of course, provided the government leaves no stone unturned in order to ensure our Salvation, minor failings on its part (provision of law-and-order, health and educational infrastructure, etc.) can be overlooked.
3. Romantic activities can be detrimental to the security of the capital, because smuggling of grenades and other explosives hidden among flowers and balloons can never be ruled out.
4. Enthusiasm for the Valentine’s Day goes against the spirit of the Two-Nation Theory. The Indians (barring the Hindu Mahasabha) are very enthusiastic V-Day celebrators; we must be different from them in every respect.
5. The religious community is unanimous on the harmful effects of Valentine’s Day. It is a serious consensus when Mufti Popalzai agrees with the rest of the clergy.
6. We don’t need more softies; we need rough, tough, real men. Already it is difficult to differentiate between the dressing room of a man and a woman – there are all the identical items: gels, whitening creams, moisturizing creams, body lotions, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, you name it. Grooms spend as much time at the parlor as the brides do, if not more. So soft themselves, how do they propose to protect the women (their primary job) is beyond me. Valentine’s Day flowers will serve as the last nail in the coffin of real manhood. Who’s to say we won’t all be required to fight the enemy some day? We don’t want our men to present flowers to the enemy, do we now?
7. As President Mamnoon Husain rightly pointed out, the concept of Valentine’s Day is alien to our culture. Make no mistake – President Mamnoon is no ordinary mortal; being the symbol of the federation, he speaks for the whole country. He has to be taken seriously.
8. Celebration of Valentin’s Day hurts the feelings of those of our fellow citizens as have no girlfriends. If you happen to have a girlfriend, is it necessary to rub the fact in? Also spare a thought for men with multiple girlfriends – imagine the tight spot the Valentine’s Day puts them in. If you won’t bring yourself to be considerate enough, rest assured that the Interior Minister will.
9. The Valentine’s Day puts an insane amount of pressure on a guy to perform. Such is the hype associated with the day that whatever you may do, your woman is still going to be disappointed. Why even bother?
10. Bashir doesn’t celebrate the Valentine’s Day. We should all be like Bashir.

In summary, if people can’t bring themselves to give Nisar due credit, the least they can do is not to lay into him. Chaudhry Nisar, for his part, need not bother about frivolous complaints from such critics. Since he can never please everybody, he may as well take what, in his own better judgment, is the correct route. He is here to do the right thing by the nation, not to win a popularity contest; and he knows it. Keep it up, sir!