Govt gives free hand to banned terror outfits while stopping PTI protest
Leaders of the proscribed outfit criticised PTI chairman Imran Khan for creating ‘disturbance’ in the city, while extending support to the PML-N government
As the Islamabad police were busy arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists for protesting against the government on Friday last week, banned sectarian outfit Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) took out a huge rally in the capital. Just a stone’s throw away from the parliament and prime minister house, leaders of the outlawed ASWJ addressed a gathering of supporters where hate speech and sectarianism was openly practiced.
The rally was allowed by the city administration despite imposition of section 144 in the capital, which the government used as a reason to stop a PTI convention on Thursday evening.
Leaders of the proscribed outfit criticised PTI chairman Imran Khan for creating ‘disturbance’ in the city, while extending support to the PML-N government. When ASWJ chief Ahmed Ludhianvi came on the stage to address workers and supporters, lots of anti-Shi’a slogans were chanted, the video of which is available on social media.
When the city administration was asked to comment on why a banned group was allowed to go ahead with its event despite imposition of section 144 in the capital, a spokesman said the group had taken prior permission and an NOC was issued by the authorities. A ruling party MNA while talking to a local TV channel said that the ASWJ rally did not ‘threaten peace’. So the authorities think that a blatant violation of National Action Plan (NAP) is not a threat to peace.
The question is not about violation of section 144 by ASWJ, it’s about a proscribed terror group being allowed to hold a public event in the heart of Islamabad — because this is not only against NAP but also against the constitution of Pakistan. Not only was the banned outfit allowed holding its rally, Islamabad police had itself facilitated the arrangements. The rally or ‘conference’, as ASWJ described it on its social media pages, took place under the protection of Islamabad police.
NAP down the drain?
One should not even talk about the National Action Plan anymore as it has died its own death, and its funeral was on display in the capital of Pakistan last week. Just a day after ASWJ’s hate-filled gathering in Islamabad, five Shi’a Muslims were killed in Karachi when militants opened fire at a Majlis (religious gathering of the Shi’a) on Saturday. Shouldn’t those who allowed sectarianism and hate speech in the capital be held responsible for the killings? Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the incident but does he realise the condemnation is meaningless until this culture of hate speech is allowed to survive and thrive?
If the government had deliberately given a free hand to all these banned groups to tackle the PTI’s anti-corruption protests, this was a very dangerous approach. If the PML-N government thinks that these sectarian groups will at any point be of help to the government, it is badly mistaken. Appeasement of the extremist groups never works – it only backfires.
PTI chief Imran Khan in his address on 2 November’s ‘thanksgiving’ rally, criticised the government for mistreating the party supporters wishing to join the party event in Islamabad
It is evident that in Pakistan there is one law for the weak and another for the powerful. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, the way Islamabad police mistreated the youth and women of PTI who were there only to participate in a party event, is condemnable – and the fact that at the same time leaders of a banned group were allowed to do their thing without any intervention from the police added insult to the injury.
Double standards of rulers
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made a statement prior to the PTI’s ‘lockdown’ protest, claiming that Imran Khan was trying to create anarchy by brining proscribed group members and students of Jamia Haqqania to the capital. He criticised the PTI chairman for giving a monetary grant to the Haqqania seminary, but what the honourable minister’s own government did in Islamabad was not very different from what he criticised the PTI chief for.
The ruling party members were on television all day saying the Islamabad police are only implementing the court order about section 144 by arresting PTI protesters, and on the other hand sympathisers and facilitators of terrorists were allowed to hold a public event where they openly incited violence. These double standards and hypocrisy of the rulers have tarnished the credibility of our democratic system.
Imran loses opportunity to come down on govt
PTI chief Imran Khan in his address on 2 November’s ‘thanksgiving’ rally, criticised the government for mistreating the party supporters wishing to join the party event in Islamabad. But what he did not mention was that how the government was hypocritical in allowing ASWJ to hold rally but clamping down on PTI workers and supporters. He could have used this argument to make his point about the government’s double standards, but he clearly missed out on the chance.
“Section 144 is only being discussed in relation to ASWJ rally in view of how it was applied to PTI, but the real issue is that regardless of Section 144, proscribed organisations and persons cannot organise rallies and public gathering under the Anti Terrorism Act 1997”, said civil society activist Jibran Nasir, while talking to DNA.
He further added that it does not matter if section-144 was in place or not, because the ASWJ event held in the capital was illegal and punishable by various sections of the Anti Terrorism Act.
“The fact that anti-Shi’a slogans were raised at the rally also attracts further punishment under as Sec 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code”, Jibran told DNA.
He said that in cases of terrorism, the state needed to be proactive and stop these activities but instead the police officers were seen facilitating the rally. A similar rally by ASWJ also took place in Karachi the day the five men were killed, he said, adding that there have been many intelligence reports which have been shared by the media confirming links between ASWJ and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) — the organisation held responsible for the recent case of Shi’a killing in Karachi.
“LeJ is a militant wing whereas ASWJ can be best described as its ideological wing of the same nexus”, he concluded.
