This post is based on an imaginary scenario.
Imagine Pakistan was a very different place. Imagine that it had politicians (not all, just a few, maybe one or two in government and one or two in opposition) who actually cared for Pakistan and made decisions based on what would be good for the country instead of just useful to their own hold on power.
I have probably already lost half of you, but let me keep going anyhow.
Imagine, what might happen in such a Pakistan in response to the brutal murder of Salman Taseer by the evil Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri?
What might the government do if it were really and truly serious about giving justice to Salman Taseer and rolling back the intolerance and extremism that gunned him down?
Let me suggest five things that would happen if Pakistan was, indeed, a functional state and society.
Instead of the emotional slogans, false tears, and petty political point-scoring that we are now seeing, here are a few things that might have happened if Pakistan was the place we all want it to be, but is not (starting from the easiest and moving to the most important):
- The immediate culprit – Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri – would be immediately and swiftly (that is critical) tried in a court of law and given the full punishment under the law. Justice which is transparent, fair, and speedy should be done, and seen to be done.
- All opportunities to turn the murderer into a public hero would be denied to him and his ‘fans.’ This means, no access to media, no opportunities to be garlanded, no occasions to shout slogans to TV cameras, etc. There are lots of simple means to do so and the media would be banned – for national sanity reasons – from reporting directly on his, running footage of him, or in any way projecting him. The purpose would be not to restrict information, but to resist misinformation on a pending case.
- Immediate investigation would be undertaken against all who had instigated violence and murder, issued fatwas, or in any ways created the inducement or provided encouragement to commit violence against Salman Taseer or others in relation to the blasphemy issue. This would certainly include, at a minimum, those evil jokers who were publicly offering money for murder but would also include an immediate and swift investigation into those on the media who had contributed to instigation and hysteria and inflamed emotions with violent rhetoric and also those political or public figures (including so-called ‘ulemas‘) who may have directly instigated violence in the name of this issue at any public rally. These investigations would swiftly lead to arrests, trials, and full punishment under incitement to violence laws.
- Anyone justifying murder, glorifying the murderer, or creating public incitement on this issue in the aftermath of the murder would be swiftly arrested, tried and given full punishment under the law. This could require large number of arrests to crush illegal rallies, etc., and the government would be ready to take that principled stand. This would also include full legal action against any media person using the media to justify the breaking of the law or the act of murder (for example, by arguing – directly or indirectly – that the murder of Salman Taseer was justified).
- The government would immediately move to repeal, or at least review the Blasphemy law itself and swiftly bring needed changes to it so that its spirit is not misused or made subject to vigilantism. This would be the least that could be done to honor the memory of Salman Taseer.
None of these would be easy to do, even in a saner Pakistan. But ‘difficult’ is never an excuse not to do what is ultimately ‘right.’
I do not really expect our current political leaders to do the right thing, on this issue or any other; or to give justice to Salman Taseer, or me. But at least I can try to push the conversation away from the inanities I hear on the TV and read in newspapers and towards a sense of what the ‘right’ thing to do would be, even if in an imaginary Pakistan.
Good post. Even if unlikely we should seriously push for these.
Most urgently all media appearances by this guy should be curtailed. In a civilized country the media itself would refrain from the type of clips that eugolize a killer like happened yesterday in the court but absent that there should be no need for him to be paraded in front of the media and public when coming and going from court. There is no need for the media there and these are and will be used deliberately to turn this murderer into a hero.
Unless we act NOW! against these Jahil Mullahs this is the beginning of the END! of Pakistan!!
The law that he was trying to alter does not even relate to the Quran and Hadith. It is a fabrication of some illiterate desert Bedouin.
Evidence is to be found in the sound Hadith – when the Prophet of Allah (SAW) went to Taif to invite people to Islam. He (SAW) was beaten, stoned and driven out of the village. The king of angels – Gabriel (AS) came to him and on seeing him bleeding, requested permission to command the angels in charge of the surrounding mountains to crush the village. The beloved of Allah (SAW) responded; leave them be, if not them, their children will convert to Islam.
He (SAW) is Rehmatal -lil- Alamien (mercy to all creation) he was not sent to humanity for any other reason except as a mercy. Yet the illiterate Paki Mullahs would rather kill Islam then convert people to Islam because they are NOT muslims their actions prove it they are worse then KAFIRS!!
These Jahils are spreading their cancer to every corner of the Islamic world.
Sayedina Ali (RA) said “I can argue against a hundred scholars and win but one jahil will defeat me.
Once upon a time Pakistan was created as an Islamic Country these days its the champion of Islamic destruction.
Allhamdu-Lillah my father took us out of Pakistan and saved us from such Jahils.
@Naan Haleem.
So, because they are corrupt that is why you had them killed? That is why it is Ok for this Qadri guy to murder people. Follow that logic to where it takes you and see what happens to you yourself, sir.
By the way, @Naan Haleem can you please tell us what passport and visa you hold and what ‘class’ you are from?
I truly agree with Arif Irshad’s comment on another post:
“Pakistan’s whole education budget is eaten up by people like Salman Taseer, Zardari, the Sharifs, the Chaudrys and Musharraf. What do you expect from these people. Had these billionaires not eaten up the public money, things would have been different. More chaos will follow.”
It is the aftermath of gap created by elite class. Luxurious lifestyle as opposed to lacking or deprived of basic necessities of life, corruption and nepotism as opposed to unemployment and inflation and most significantly separate education systems ranging from Cambridge and so called english medium to sarkari urdu medium and madrassas.
Why is secular elite complaining the killing of Salman Taseer when they are reaping what they have sown for so many decades now. They can not just shrug off by blaming British for creating the elite class to rule the poor.
Their lust for power & money and hatred for lower or middle class people has created the widest chasm in the society. Their snub towards not-so-fortunate people has compelled them to create totally different educational systems for different social classes.
What level of logical understanding and civic sense does secular elite expect from their OPPOSING fraction when they have deliberately been kept at lowest level and quality of education?
So I would blame the secular elite of Pakistan for the killing of Salman Taseer. More to follow soon.
Remember French Revolution? Guillotine was the fate of everyone having soft hands regardless of age, gender or allegiance. But wait… there was no luxurious London, New York or Dubai in those days.
So tip for elite class: keep your passport and visa (in case you are still Pakistani citizen) updated with assurance of seat availability on immediate flight.
This blog has become Voice of America or BBC, writers, readers are out of touch with real situation.