How far the judge will go in days to come is anybody’s guess
Chaudhry Mohammad Ibrahim Zia, the newly appointed CJ of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court, revived some of the bitter memories of Zia-ul-Haq’s era during his maiden address. Enforcing the “Nizam-e-Salat” among the court employees he ordered compulsory prayers and penalties for those who fail to comply with the injunction. Henceforth the officers of the court would be required to offer their prayers punctually, while he would be leading some of the prayers himself. Those who fail to comply would be deprived of yearly service benefits. To make sure employees offer their prayers regularly, Justice Zia reportedly said they would be secretly checked by the court. Officials on security duties, including policemen, are also required to comply with the order, irrespective if its implications for security in these precarious times. Despite the Father of the Nation declaring that “You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state”, the CJ believes it is the business of the state to enforce prayers.
A fairly large section of society on both sides of the divided Kashmir has always been tolerant in matters of religion. Most of the population is deeply religious but has followed the precept that says there is no compulsion in matters of religious practice. Religion for them is a matter between an individual and his Creator.
Zia-ul-Haq did a lot of harm to Pakistan. The man beat the constitution out of shape. Some of the mischief done to the Basic Law is being rectified gradually. But the harm done to society at large will take decades to remedy. The religiosity which gives primacy to practice of religious rites, ignoring altogether the spiritual aspect, has created an intolerant and extremist mindset. This in turn has provided a fertile ground to terrorism. The people of AJK need to learn from the horrible experiment conducted by Zia in Pakistan
