Dodging the answers will harm national interest
While resuming the hearing of the Faizabad sit-in case, a Supreme Court bench has raised a number of highly relevant issues.
To start with the bench has asked if the country is to be ruled by law or by mobs? In 1953 when the issue surfaced for the first time causing several casualties the state made full use of its coercive machinery with the result that for a long time it put paid to all extremist groups who dreamt of dictating to the state. This proved that in case the state possesses the will, it could rein in rabble-rousers using religion or sect to spread anarchy.
How come then that a group with extremist views managed to blockade Islamabad for full twenty days by occupying Faizabad interchange? How come that the same group was allowed to play havoc again in various cities of Punjab, Karachi and Peshawar early this month? There are many who think that if instead of being mollycoddled, the Faizabad protesters had been treated according to law, the mayhem that was staged early this month would not have taken place. That those who flouted the Constitution, pralysed traffic between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, restricted the right to movement and even gouged the eyes of police were free to do anything indicates that they were considered above law. The failure to submit information demanded by the apex court from certain agencies indicates that they are either uncooperative or incompetent.
Another major issue that the SC bench has taken note of is the mysterious removal of selected channels off air and banning of the entry of selected newspapers in certain areas unlawfully. Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution. The body has the exclusive authority to regulate the electronic media. The SC bench earlier grilled the PEMRA chairman regarding a blackout of TV news channels that had taken place during the sit-in last year.
The bench has plainly asked PEMRA chairman whether there is a clandestine force that issues directions to the media. The question has been raised recently by the media and civil society also and needs convincing answers.
