Adil Najam
This is a VERY DISTURBING video. Please view at your own discretion.
It is important, however, that we speak about and shout out about this video.
It shows a 17-year old girl being flogged by a Taliban leader of some sort in a perverted form of justice. Reportedly the incident happened in Kalakalay, Swat around 3 months ago (before the supposed peace deal with the government). The girl is being ‘punished’ for going somewhere without a male relative. Supposedly, the male companion was also flogged.
This video is also be discussed vigorously at Pakistaniat’s new Facebook page. Some of that disussion does not carry over here, although we hope it ultimately will.
In more recent developments, supposedly Sufi Mohammad in Swat has condemned the act and said this was not Baitullah’s Taliban. More importantly, the recent reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has taken su moto notice of this incident. According to The News
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Friday took a suo motu notice of the media footage in which a 17 year old girl is being whipped out in the broad daylight in Swat. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhdy ordered the matter to be presented before a larger bench on April 6. He also summoned Secretary Interior, IG and Chief Secretary on April 6. He ordered formation of 8-member larger bench to be headed by himself.
This is a story that all Pakistanis and all Muslims must speak about and speak against. There are those who will try to make this a story about what Pakistan or Islam is. Such bigoted approaches are to be resisted. This is not a story about what Pakistan is. This is clearly not about what Islam is. This is a story about what the enemies of Islam and enemies of Pakistan are doing. This is a story about what Pakistan must not allowed to become. The bad news is obvious in the video itself. The bad news is about the criminality being conducted in the name of religion. The good news is that the media, the judiciary and ordinary Pakistanis ARE speaking up and speaking out. We must do more so. For if we do not speak out against this criminality, who will?
meengla
this just shows what people have repeatedly said here that we lack sincere strong leadership. infact there is reciprcal relationship between corrupt leaders and destructive leaders.
and if we look at ATP poll done few days back….around 700 people participated and the top most problem of pakistan was polled as extremism followed by corrupt politcians…so here we go….this nation knows who are its enemies….then how will we redeem ourselves….i think it would be foolish to think that current leadership can save us…we need to look at some other institutions…may be educating youth, judiciary…i dont know….
Dawn’s Irfan Hussain gets to the heart of the problem: A tolerance of these ‘militants’ by large number of ‘mainstream’ Pakistanis.
http://tinyurl.com/dxfmv8
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So far, with the exception of the PPP and the MQM, most political parties have avoided taking a clear position. While they may occasionally condemn individual atrocities, they fall short of openly identifying the enemy. One senior journalist in Islamabad told me that when reporters seek an interview with Nawaz Sharif, they must first agree not to ask any direct questions about the Taliban. If this is true, it shows that the PML-N leader does not want to either condemn or support the jihadis openly. Being a canny politician, he does not wish to alienate his core support among reactionary elements. Nor does he want to upset Washington. But wars are not won through such tactical hedging.
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Since people have sought a response to our moderation policy, we suggest that they read the moderation policy here. We repeat these points again and again in various posts, but seemingly to little effect on some.
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Can someone please update on what the status of the Supreme Course suo moto is?
We will never be able to root out these demons until teh ordinary Pakistani is still supporting them and in the illusions that it is “external” hands of USA, or India or Israel that is causing this. First, we have to accept that this is our problem and we as public have to root out the Taliban. It does not matter who teh govt is.
The madrussahs are spewing out more enemies of Pakistan than you can root out with force.
I think the only thing to do is to use fore to root out these enemies of Pakistan. At this point that is only option.
The moderators do not allow any comments which includes a slightest mention of who is responsible for why Pakistan is where it is today. It requires courage and integrity to accept mistakes. Only then a corrective course of action can be charted. Otherwise all this blogging is nothing but a drawing room conversation that no one can beat us at.
How did the mullah who opposed the creation of Pakistan get so strong that now they assert ownership of Pakistan?
Well they came for Ahmadis, then for Shias, then for Christians and all that ‘we’ did was watch and root for them. Now they have come for the women and soon they will come for ‘us’. The mullah plague was planted by ZAB, watered by Zia, MQM/ML etc and nurtured by ‘us’.
Pakistan is enjoying the fruit of the tree that ‘we’ nurtured. How many among us have the courage to take responsibility for the unraveling of this country? We were bigots then and we are bigots now.