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?
‘If you can see eye of an ant then you can expect mercy from a mullah’. These words were written by a Muslim scholar about, four centuries ago. I wonder what happened to the man she was alleged to be with. It possible that she was a victim of child abuse.
Pakistan’s ruling elite, including a long list of politicians from left and right during its 60 year history, have been too willing to make deals with the extremists who believe in a very harsh and punitive version of Islam. They see no room for reason or Ijtihad to adapt to the realities of the world today. Zardari is not alone in enabling this abomination. ANP, the progressive party that won the mandate over the religious right, is equally culpable, if not more so. It was ANP that made the deal with Sufi, Zardari endorsed it.
what Pakistan really needed. Maybe it is time that it should be applied to the Taliban leaders as well. Whenever caught, they should be flogged and then thrown in jail, specially in those jails where anti taliban
are jailed.
unfortunately this is what 80% of us pakistanis support.
Any thing is possible in the Pakiland wherein the very Constitution of the country can be converted into a ‘Fatwa’, thereby allowing any body to declare any citizen of Pakistan a ‘kafir’ liable to be lynched.
My great-grand-mother would use to tell me the horrible stories of atrocities committed during Sikha-shahi in Punjab which I could hardly believe. What I am seeing today under Talbani Sikhashahi is certainly more horrible than that. All this in my view is the result of irrationality inherent in every religion or idealogy, etc., taken to the extreme.
Btw, Punjab was liberated from Sikhashahi by the British and I hope it is the West again which is coming to our aid today that will save us from the onslaught of the Talibani Islamic Sikhashahi as our government has apparently failed to check it.
What a pity they are celebrating in Nodero when daughters of the land are crying for help!