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?
What a disgusting show of religious extremism! the thing every1 forgets is that she is only a 17 year old girl,a minor.What is even more depressing that tv anchors like mushtaq minhas last night defended this act by labelling it as a conspiracy by the jews and the indians.these people’s repeated defence of these barbaric activities is what keeps the public support of the taliban up.instead of condemning the mentality of the fanatics,he deflected the atrocity by mentioning drones and the jewish agents and said this issue was not worth mentioning and there was no need to discuss it!these fans of the taliban’s brutality are what keeps letting these atrocities go unpunished as they deflect any criticism by launching into their own propaganda.The taliban’s spokesperson already accepted responsibility and said that the right thing was done.the media defenders of the taliban must be brought to account for making the atrocities of the taliban acceptable in the minds of the public.
I am very disturbed by the current crisis in Pakistan, of which this outrage is the latest example. I hope and pray that our Pakistani friends can over come it.
This video is real… TTP spokesman has already accepted responsibility for it… and why shouldn’t it be? We have seen far worse from these people including public shootings in soccer grounds… What shocked me more was people on Pakistani media actually condoning this… If this is where Pakistani society has reached after 60 years then maybe we deserve to be taken over by these barbarians.
Sister Neena,
MQM is not secular. Inface, they are better than that – they don’t allow a religious label to be put on their party. They allow the society to function as is. Whoever wants to pray 5 times a day and observe sunnahs and get religious education in Karachi, they are free to do so. Whoever wants to pursue the career of rock star, they are free to do so.
Even some of MQM members are very religious while some are not that religious. Religion should never be an issue in politics- I believe this is your point.
This video maybe fake but burning girls schools, limiting women movement, making men grow beard, controlling one’s right to entertainment by destroying music shops and cinema, killing minorities, and damaging Sufi Islam landmarks aren’t. If fake video make my people take notice then let them be.
Faraz, Qazi and Imran Khan are just noise makers, they know their limits they can’t even contest free elections. If there is enough hangama Nawaz Sharif will soon left them and Zia Islam too and then they will be nothing. Good thing MQM is secular and they have redeem themselves. Urdu media is always Jamati biased let them be.