Extremism breeds terrorism
The Punjab police can no longer pretend to be in the dark about so called Jamat ud Dawa Shari’a courts operating in the provincial capital – the excuse they first used – yet there is still no action against this parallel legal system, if it can be called that. Also, since the police department is no longer in the lead in fighting terrorism – their second excuse – they ought to turn their attention to JuD sooner rather than later; or they would have another problem snowballing out of proportion before confronting it.
Unfortunately, Punjab police’s incompetence is not the only reason for such unpleasant – and unconstitutional – surprises. Vacuums are invariably filled by whosoever steps forward and takes the initiative. And since the many problems of our broken down legal system will never be resolved – from the common man’s point of view, at least – many people are turning to JuD courts because they promise something the state doesn’t – speedy justice. If only the state had a slightly longer memory it would remember how a similar drama preceded the Swat nightmare not too long ago. Yet the Punjab government remains oblivious to these dangerous developments; preferring to focus on more pressing issues like the Orange Line, etc.
That, however, is not the only concerning bit of news coming from Punjab of late. The PML-N government there has been confounded by regressive circles even where it has taken noticeable initiatives. The religious lobby and other far-right-of-centre groups never accepted the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act. And now they have collected clerics from across the spectrum, comprising ulema from all schools of Islamic jurisprudence, to rubbish the Act. There is an urgent need for the Punjab government to take control of things before events assume a momentum of their own. Perhaps the leadership still needs to be reminded that extremism breeds terrorism; and we have had our fair share of both. It is up to the Punjab government to take care of the mess in its hometown before things get visibly worse.