Promoting hate speech

Sir: Aamir Liaquat should be removed from the private television channel that gives him airtime immediately. On December 22, 2014, on his morning show Subh-e-Pakistan, Liaquat invited a few religious ‘scholars’ to discuss issues in Pakistan, including the recent Peshawar attack. One question posed was that of who is behind all of these issues. The mullahs responded that a common enemy of Pakistan and all Muslims in the country was responsible. They went on to say that the reason behind the country’s misery was the Ahmedi community. Liaquat and the audience burst into applause. This irresponsible and false accusation will get Pakistan nowhere and avoids the root cause of extremism. Making a well known, persecuted community a scapegoat will not help solve our issues; it will only encourage them.

It is hatred, misunderstanding and misrepresentation of facts that become the fuel that fans the fires of extremism in the first place. Pakistan is really hurting. Is putting the blame on Ahmedis really going to solve anything? Hate speech only drags a nation into the depths of despair. It is what eventually led to the rise and drastic destruction of Hitler’s Nazi Germany. It is what is currently dividing and causing tension in the US. If Aamir Liaquat really wants to know the cause behind all the tension in his beloved Pakistan, maybe he should look at himself first.

SAIRA BHATTI

Virginia,

US

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An open letter to Geo TV

You remember well that the last time your host Mr Amir Liaquat promoted anti-Ahmedi hate speech on your forum in September of 2008, two prominent Ahmedi leaders were gunned down within 48 hours

• Kashif N Chaudhry
• December 29, 2014
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Dear Geo TV, I did not think I would be writing this letter to you just days after picking up the heavy coffins of over 100 innocent children in Peshawar. But here I am writing this letter in pain and disappointment. I am pained by your callous disregard for the peace and life of fellow minority communities in Pakistan. And I am disappointed at your persistent refusal to own and apologise for your irresponsible — and that is putting it lightly — broadcasting.

You have done it again. Yet another murder (a third) after your forum was used by hate preachers to incite violence against Pakistan’s Ahmedi community. Let me put things in historical perspective for you.

You know well that the Ahmedis played a very prominent role in the creation of Pakistan alongside Jinnah, and its subsequent growth thereafter. I do not wish to detail these services here. You have probably heard of Mr Abdul Rahim Dard, the Ahmedi Imam who convinced Jinnah to return to India after he had moved to London. Sir Zafarullah Khan, Pakistan’s first foreign minister and author of the famous Pakistan Resolution was also an Ahmedi. Dr Abdus Salam, Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad, General Akhtar Malik, General Abdul Ali Malik and General Iftikhar Janjua are only a few of numerous Ahmedis who have given all they had for the betterment of Pakistan. Even after being severely ostracised today, Ahmedis continue to pray for Pakistan on all forums.

On the other hand, it is also well known that most hardline clerics, e.g. those belonging to the Ahrar party and the Jamaat-e-Islami vehemently opposed Jinnah and his struggle. When they failed to stop Jinnah’s dream from materialising, they turned to hurt the newly found state by continuing to fight Jinnah’s vision of a pluralistic, tolerant and inclusive state. They sowed the seeds of sectarian hatred and the religious divide. After much resilience, they were finally successful in hijacking the Quaid’s vision. Today’s Pakistan is, unfortunately, rife with discrimination, sectarian hatred, intolerance and violence. The Constitution itself encourages such discrimination by ascribing its Ahmedi citizens a lower class, unfit to even enjoy the basic right of freedom to self-identify.

Almost 70 years after the realisation of Pakistan, we are now starting to realise the bad choices we made along the way. Some of us have started admitting, for once, that sectarian hatred is at the core of our extremism problem. The prime minister’s recently formulated action plan to combat terrorism in the country addresses this concern. The plan encompasses taking measures to stop religious extremism and protect minorities, and promises prosecution of elements spreading sectarian violence in society.

Unfortunately, you, Geo TV, are part of the problem in this important dynamic. Recently, on Mr Amir Liaquat’s morning show, Subh-e-Pakistan, a panel of clerics accused Pakistan’s peaceful and patriotic Ahmedi community of backing terrorism in the country. Deflecting blame from the real terrorists, the Taliban apologists pinned the blame of the Peshawar attack squarely on the Ahmedis, the same Ahmedis who have endured multiple attacks from the Taliban themselves. Ahmedis were labelled “Jewish agents”, blasphemers of Islam and traitors of Pakistan by cleric Syed Arif Shah Owaisi. Demonising the already ostracised Ahmedis, the panel urged Muslims to unite against and fight this “enemy” of Pakistan and Islam.

Mr Amir Liaquat nodded in agreement and led the audience in a most cheerful applause to these remarks instead of realising that this hatemongering is exactly why Pakistan is in the mess it is in today. You remember well that the last time your host Mr Amir Liaquat promoted anti-Ahmedi hate speech on your forum in September of 2008, two prominent Ahmedi leaders were gunned down within 48 hours. You, Geo TV, never apologised back then. Nor did your anchor Mr Liaquat despite your clear roles in the incitement of this anti-Ahmedi violence.

Six years later, you have done it again in 2014. Yet another murder has taken place after your public instigation. Probably out of concern for the peace of Pakistan, someone took the advice on your forum seriously and decided to fight the state’s ‘enemy’ on their own. A 27-year-old Ahmedi man lost his life when he was gunned down in Gujranwala.

You had blood on your hands back in 2008. You have blood on your hands this time again. And it is now time that you clean it off, once and for all.

We are not waiting for more dead bodies to pile up — God forbid — in the wake of this inflammatory and provocative broadcasting. This time, we will not be silent witness to continued attacks on a patriotic and already ostracised Pakistani community through your forum. It is time that you should be held accountable for this instigation of hate and murder.

Responsible Pakistani citizens are protesting against your role in abetting sectarian violence. An online petition calling on the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (PEMRA) to hold you accountable has already gathered over 5,000 signatures in just under 24 hours. The hashtags #AmirLiaquatSpreadsViolence and #ArrestAmirLiaquat have trended all over Pakistan on social media. We, the civil society of Pakistan, demand that you publicly apologise for your role in this madness and take steps to ensure that hatemongers are not allowed to further their bigotry through your forum ever again. We also demand that you fire Amir Liaquat Hussain immediately.

Unless this is done, we will continue to call on regulatory bodies such as PEMRA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), OfCom, etc. to take note of your continued provocation to attacks on religious minorities since 2008. We will also call on the state to hold you and Mr Hussain accountable under PPC 153(a) and Section eight of ATA 97 for fanning the flames of sectarian hatred at such a volatile time when the state is trying to make its choice between interfaith harmony and religious bigotry finally clear.

Geo, do the right thing. Listen to Pakistan’s civil society. Stop Mr Liaquat and yourself from hurting Jinnah’s vision. Clean your bloodied hands. Now.

The author is currently completing his Cardiology fellowship with Tufts University in Boston, US. He writes for various American newspapers and Pakistani publications and blogs at the Huffington Post. He tweets @KashifMD

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Pakistan: Eliminating the misuse of blasphemy laws

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

A Christian man, Sawan Masih, accused of committing blasphemy in the Joseph Colony incident, can best illustrate how tazkiyah al shuhood can save people from unnecessary accusations.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Pakistan Today
By Asif Aqeel | December 27, 2014

When the Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer and the Minister of Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti were assassinated in 2011 in connection with blasphemy laws, certain Pakistani religious circles gave the impression that these laws were perfect, not man-made and amending them construed to interfering with the divine ordinances. But recent developments have reignited a debate on them and have raised serious doubts about this presumption. The objective of this article is to address the misuse of these laws.

Deciding on Asia Bibi’s appeal against her death sentence, the two Lahore High Court (LHC) judges have identified a procedural loophole in Section 295-C (Use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet [peace be upon him]) of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Not just this, the judges have actually sought an amendment to remove this loophole.

The glitch involves a legal principle found in Islamic law called tazkiyah al-shuhood (an Islamic method to ascertain if witnesses meet the strict piety standard). The Federal Shariat Court (FSC) in its 1990 judgment held that Section 295-C of PPC was an Islamic hadd offence.

    Whoever… defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine

Only those who meet the tazkiyah al-shuhood standard can bring a charge that falls under the hadd offence. Section 295-C is a hadd offence (after FSC’s 1990 decision) but it does not require meeting the strict Islamic piety standard for witnesses. The two LHC justices asked the ministry of law, justice and human rights “for taking necessary steps in this regard.”

A Christian man, Sawan Masih, accused of committing blasphemy in the Joseph Colony incident, can best illustrate how tazkiyah al shuhood can save people from unnecessary accusations.

An argument broke out between Masih and his Muslim neighbour Shahid Iqbal when they were drinking liquor in March 2013. The argument followed an arson attack on the colony. Two cases were registered: one against Masih under Section 295-C of PPC and the other against the mob that ransacked and burned houses of the Christians.

In the following days, all suspects of the attack were released on bail while Masih has been in jail since then, and was handed death sentence in April 2014. If tazkiyah al-shuhood standard had been applied to Iqbal then he could not have been able to file a hadd offence against Masih. Firstly, because it is difficult to ascertain what was being discussed while drinking; and, secondly, because of drinking liquor he fell short of the Islamic piety standard.

The second aspect is the “bad intention” of those who are suspected of committing blasphemy. Sections 295-A and 295-C of PPC were invoked in cases against Junaid Jamshed, Veena Malik and Shaista Lodhi. Through social media they affirmed that they had no intention to commit blasphemy. But Section 295-C of PPC doesn’t require bad intention to establish the offence:

Whoever … defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.

    The glitch involves a legal principle found in Islamic law called tazkiya al shuhood (an Islamic method to ascertain if witnesses meet the strict piety standard)

All over the world, a criminal act consists of at least two elements – the act (actus reus) and the bad intention (mens rea). It is the bad intention that makes any act a criminal one. Hence, the act alone is not sufficient and proof of bad intention is also required to establish a crime, which Section 295-C does not meet.

The FSC in its 1990 judgment noted that “bad intention” was a necessary element to establish any offence under Section 295-C:

An intention thus is the purpose or design with which an act is done … An unintentional act is one lacking such purpose or design … Shariah recognises an offence liable to hadd only if it is accompanied by an express intention. Shariah also waives the penalty of hadd if any doubt occurs therein. It is also based on a Tradition of the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) that doubts dispel sentences of hadd.

Thirdly, advocate Ismail Qureshi, the chief architect of blasphemy laws, in his book Namoos-e-Risalat aur Qanoon-e-Toheen-e-Risalat notes that apology is not an option available to the suspects in these cases. Writing for the daily Dawn, Arafat Mazhar in his article The Untold Story of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws notes that “Yes, blasphemy is a pardonable offense” within the Hanfi school of thought which is the dominant one in Pakistan. Mazhar has identified the textual misreading on the part of Qureshi. Mazhar claims that Qureshi, in a meeting with him, accepted this mistake.

Keeping in view these three aspects, is Pakistan willing to introduce these Shariah based elements in the blasphemy laws to eliminate or at least minimise their misuse?

Read original post here: Pakistan: Eliminating the misuse of blasphemy laws

Pakistan: Ahmadi shot dead in Gujranwala

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

The incident comes on the heels of an anti-Ahmadi television program aired on Geo Television network. In the Morning Show, the infamous televangelist, Aamir Liaquat Hussain, and three Islamist clerics took turns bashing Ahmadi community as biggest enemies of Pakistan.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | 
Source/Credit: Various / Social media
By Staff report | December 27, 2014

An Ahmadi, identified only by his first name, Luqman, was shot dead early in the morning in Gujranwala, a city in Punjab, Pakistan.

The victim is reported as a 27 year old and there are no firther detail available about the killing at this time.

The incident comes on the heels of an anti-Ahmadi television program aired on Geo Television network. In the Morning Show, the infamous televangelist, Aamir Liaquat Hussain, and three Islamist clerics took turns bashing Ahmadi community as biggest enemies of Pakistan.

According to Ahmadiyya spokesperson, Saleem-ud Din, a Khatam-e Nauwat conference was also held in the area recently.

Pointing to an incident of 2008, Saleem-ud Din said it's not the first time. The last time Amir Liaqat preached hate and violence against Ahmadis on Geo TV Network, 2 Ahmadis had lost their lives, Saleem-ud Din said..


  --  Pakistan: Ahmadi shot dead in Gujranwala

Pakistan: Taliban beheaded Ahmadi man abducted in 2009

The Ahmadiyya worldwide leader, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Mansoor Ahmad memorialized the victim's obituary in his Friday sermon of December 19th.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Various / Al-Islam / Daily Dawn
By Staff report | December 21, 2014

An Ahmadi man, abducted in Pakistan by unknown persons five years ago and missing ever since was beheaded by Taliban, it has been discovered.

The grisly details came to light when a terrorist in police custody admitted his involvement in the abduction of Mubarak Ahmad Bajwa, an Ahmadi elder and a rancher from Chak 312-JB, Kathowali in the Punjab province.

Bajwa was kidnapped from his farmhouse in October 2009 along with a farm hand, a young boy of about 14 years of age. The youth was later released with instructions for Bajwa's ransom.

One of the suspect, disclosed only by his first name, Wajid, from Taliban's Afzal Fauji group in Gujrat, told police they had abducted Bajwa for ransom and kept him in chains in the basement of a mosque in Kotli until they had killed him.

The suspect claimed victim was abducted after his partner, a Christian convert to Islam, had verified that Bajwa, being an Ahmadi was 'a blasphemer of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw).'

Formerly known as Piyara Masih, convert Ahmad Baba and his family were farm hands at Bajwa's ranch. Masih, after he converted to Islam, was recruited by Taliban and received terrorist training in North Waziristan, according to a Pakistani English newspaper report.

According to the area police, Taliban had demanded a Rs20 million ransom for Bajwa's release but later beheaded him when they failed to get ransom.

The Ahmadiyya worldwide leader, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Mansoor Ahmad memorialized the victim's obituary in his Friday sermon of December 19th.

Hazrat Ahmad said one of the suspect who narrated the account of the grisly murder told investigators that after they slit Bajwa's throat, they mutilated his body into pieces and dumped it in a shallow grave in a ravine.

According to the police, the suspect told they have standing orders from their commander to kill Ahmadis for being 'blasphemer of the Holy Prophet.'

The exact date of the victim's murder is not yet clear. Mr Bajwa was born in 1953 and leaves behind his widow and four sons; two brothers and a sister.

Hazrat Ahmad prayed for the victim, his family and for the victims and families of the recent schoolchildren massacre in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Piyara Masih, a/k/a Ahmad Baba, was killed in a police vs. terrorists encounter with Gujrat police and his family has refused to accept his body for burial, the newspaper Daily Dawn has reported.


  --  Pakistan: Taliban behead Ahmadi Muslim abducted in 2009, mutilate victims's body

Pakistan’s rally for humanity

By Nadia Naviwala

Published: December 23, 2014

The writer teaches US Foreign Policy at the National Defense University in Islamabad. She is a former US Senate staff member and graduate of Harvard Kennedy School. She tweets @NadiaNavi

The protest in front of the Lal Masjid demonstrates that even a small, determined crowd in Pakistan cannot be ignored. Twice, we received threats. One that Abdul Aziz himself and his followers were coming for us if we did not disperse. Another that the Taliban themselves were coming to attack the gathering. But standing together, it felt like standing and staying was the only way to send a message to the Taliban, to the government, to the police standing in our way: the people of Pakistan have found a way out of silence.

In moments of crisis, it is common for countries to experience a rally around their flag. In these moments, public and media opinion aligns with the government, and leaders face a huge political imperative to act. Pakistan’s rally is different. In a country where the flag is under question, if not attack, Pakistan’s rally is for humanity. In this, the government has a mandate to act. But with that, as after 9/11, there is the possibility of overreaction, mis-action, and chasing the wrong demons. Asma Jahangir is right. While the hanging of convicted terrorists satisfies a public baying for blood, it is just that. Blood. And the politics of a government that must do something. But hanging terrorists of the past 20 years won’t solve our problems today or alleviate the threat of future attacks. Pakistanis know too well that eliminating individuals alone will not erase the threat. What Pakistan needs is intelligence-sharing and cooperation between domestic security agencies, police reaching out to communities to improve relations and, therefore, intelligence-gathering, effective perimeter security and quick response teams in case of lapses, proper investigations that produces evidence that can be used in court, and a functioning criminal justice system that produces convictions.

People argue that it doesn’t matter if thousands come out onto the streets. Until the state changes, Pakistan will not change. The evidence is against them. Non-violent resistance movements are proven to be twice as effective as violent ones. They challenge the sources of a state’s power and legitimacy, and ultimately inspire defections within the state, including military establishments. Even last night, while the police stood between us and the Aabpara station, a police chief said he was “with” us and offered us advice.

The Pakistani public is asking hard questions and making demands for real transformation in the way the state frames and manages national security. Party conferencing, planning and development, and bureaucracy creation just squanders the current opportunity. Pakistanis need transparency and public accountability for who is being killed in militancy-struck regions and why. We do not need airstrikes which are disproportionately used to target individuals and deliver body counts. Pakistanis need discussion and proof of the dismantling of the good Taliban, bad Taliban framework — and that can start by ending state protection for Abdul Aziz. And rather than the Army’s instant externalisation of this threat to Afghanistan, Pakistanis need to see the problem — homegrown, home-fed and co-located at home — addressed at home. The rally around the flag effect does not last long, but a rally for humanity can.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2014.

Read the original post at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/810766/pakistans-rally-for-humanity/

Red is such an ugly colour on green

By Zahra Peer Mohammed Published: December 18, 2014

My Facebook timeline is black. It’s so black that every time a coloured photo appears on it, I am taken aback and even angered; how anyone can think of posting anything other than black?

Black is an appropriate colour for today. I think if grief and shock to the point of being numb would have a colour, it would be black. I want everything to be black; I want my mind to go black, and I keep trying to make it do so, but it insists on flashing bright red with images of the beautiful children of my country, murdered in cold blood.

They did the right thing, these children. Setting a fine example of obedience and discipline for the youth of our country; they donned their smart green blazers in the morning and went out with high hopes that perhaps one day their endeavours would bring pride to their parents and in turn, their country.

But who would have thought that their frail bodies would be shouldering the crippling weight of a war that isn’t theirs? Who would have thought that red on green would be such an ugly colour?

Big hands turn to cotton when it comes to defence against guns and grenades so what could little hands possibly do in protection against a hail of bullets?

No. They didn’t stand a chance. And the heinous, most low form of life, these terrorists knew as much when they went storming in to their school, apparently having never heard the phrase ‘pick on someone your own size’. But that’s what cowards do; they attack from behind and they choose someone weaker to torture.

I am sorry my dear beautiful children of Peshawar, because you should have had the right to grow up and live your dreams; you should have had a chance to see how different the world looks when you are taller; you should have had the right to live because you did nothing wrong.

I would love to say that we will avenge every drop of your precious blood and I would love to believe Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when he says that you are like his children. Truth is that this act of depravity will not be the last one we’ll see. There will be a deluge of condemnations, protests, speeches and perhaps even sit-ins — but aside from your family, no one will remember your blood stained uniforms next year. There will be no museums for you and there will no movies made in your memory. You are 132 angelic drops in an ocean, and even if you were 1,032 drops, no one would care.

Just the same way as no one cares today about the 120 people who died last January after two blasts shattered a snooker hall in Quetta; just the same way as nobody remembers the 80 innocent church goers who were murdered in your very own city last year in September, when two bombs tore through their church; just the same way as not a soul is paying attention to the fact that between 2009 and 2012, there were 800 attacks on schools in Pakistan.

Nothing changes here, except the attacks gets more and more heinous and the silence in action that ensues grows louder and louder. It’s all part and parcel of being Pakistani, you see. We are children of a lesser God and our blood has no value.

Rest in peace my little angels, and enjoy all the attention being showered on you today, because you can rest assured that it won’t last beyond a week.

This post originally appeared here.

Former Blogs Desk Head and Senior Sub-Editor at The Express Tribune. She is a business graduate from the Queen's School of Business who tweets @ZahraPeer (twitter.com/ZahraPeer). She blogs at zahrapeer.wordpress.com

Blasphemy Law -- A Blasphemy In Itself

Why are people defending Jamshed, and where were they when all the others were being accused and killed for blasphemy? Why were those perpetrators never caught?


Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Rantings Of A Bub | Blog
By Saniya Ahmad | December 10, 2014

A couple of weeks ago, social media burst with the news of a video of Junaid Jamshed where he insulted the wife (Hazrat Ayesha) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In this video, Junaid Jamshed insulted Hazrat Ayesha, trying to prove a point about how women are flawed and defected.

As soon as the video went viral and people started hurling abuses at him for giving such insulting remarks to the wife of the most revered Prophet in Islam, Jamshed made a video, apologizing for his remarks, and claimed that he is a flawed human, and that since he gives lectures thrice a day, a mistake of this caliber was bound to happen. The video captures him putting his hands in front of people, crying, and begging them to forgive him for committing such a horrifying mistake.

While, most of the people believed Jamshed’s apology and forgave him for the video, I believe otherwise. I believe that he does not get to make such a horrendous mistake and then get away with it just by making a video, with tears streaming down his face. I will not even talk about whether he bothered to ask forgiveness from Allah, because that is a matter which will remain between the two of them. However, does him being a popular figure mean that he is exempt from all the sins he commits, just by making a video? Why then were the other accused persons not allowed a chance to spare a few minutes and make a similar video? Why was Asia bibi imprisoned and not given a chance to defend herself? All the accused would have been either alive or free, living their life normally instead of rotting in jail for Section 295-C which claims: Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.

This does not in any way mean that I support the blasphemy case that has been filed against Jamshed. He has lowered the status of women in Islam, even though they are given a much higher status. He tends to degrade them instead of dignifying them. However, all of that aside, my question is this – why is the blasphemy law not equal for everyone? Why are people defending Jamshed, and where were they when all the others were being accused and killed for blasphemy? Why were those perpetrators never caught?

Jamshed has been known to flee Pakistan to United Kingdom soon after the blasphemous video went viral. No one will admit this but everyone knows that he is not coming back anytime soon, not until this case is closed, not until his own fellow citizens forgive him, and most importantly, not until everyone forgets about this and finds somebody else to blame everything on. It does make me think that he is lucky he has the money and resources to fly away to another country, while Asia bibi, who was also accused of blasphemy and was arrested and imprisoned, had nowhere to escape to.

The blasphemy laws, giving the right in the hands of man, to hand out a death sentence or a life imprisonment penalty, have given liberty to many a people to accuse their enemies of blasphemy, thereby allowing them to punish them for crimes they might not even have committed. While our country is called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, these laws are in no way Islamic and they need to be removed if the citizens of Pakistan are to live their life in peace.



Read original post here: Blasphemy Law: A Blasphemy In Itself

Our responsibility on minority killings

Among various violent events, not all of them click with Pakistani reformers. In order to be worthy of attention, the event first needs to be picked up by western organisations

Daily Times
Syed Kamran Hashmi

Pakistanis hanker for a moment of joy, a reason to celebrate and a piece of good news. But, unfortunately, we do not get much. After suffering through a series of bad news, we may bag one piece of good news, if we are lucky. Recognising its scarcity, it therefore is treated like the birth of a boy child, celebrated with music, street dances and, of course, desserts. Besides cricket, do we get good news from any other place? Mostly no. Although the entertainment industry contributes to our good fortune sometimes when Rahat Ali Khan or Fawad Khan get recognised in Bollywood, there too the talent of our female lead actors spoils the party. In no way do I want to sound like a typical Pakistani male chauvinist but the talent our female artists promote as the key to their success in India, has less to do with art or performance and has more to do with carnal pleasures.

On the other hand, bad news, as unpleasant as it is, strikes us from every possible direction: political, constitutional, financial, economic, and related to violence. Leaving the ongoing and never-ending political drama aside, amongst all of them, it is the violent bits of news that grab our attention the most. Violence in itself can strike us in innumerable ways. How about the example of a two-year-old girl kidnapped and raped, her body found in the trash, or a 10-year-old child abducted for ransom, his parents pleading for help, the perpetrators demanding a million dollars from the family? Likewise, there is the case of a young physician shot dead by unknown assassins, the victim’s faith playing a role in his murder. There is the college student gunned down in Karachi, his political affiliation raising suspicion of his being target killed. How about the bomb blast shaking a whole city, its death toll exceeding 50, the number of injuries scoring above the 100 mark? There is the mob lynching of an innocent couple, the ostensible reason for this brutality being blasphemy. In short, for social activists, journalists, opinion makers and self-appointed reformers, there is sufficient material to write and express their frustrations. On the other hand, there exists sufficient material for the ordinary Pakistani to be depressed.

Among the various violent events, not all of them click with Pakistani reformers. In order to be worthy of attention, the event first needs to be picked up by western organisations. However, once they have reported on it, we lunge at the opportunity to pen down our observations as if the credit for this news in fact belongs to us alone. As a matter of faith we then write articles for weeks in every newspaper and every journal on the issue. Our efforts are not limited to just Pakistani media houses. We, in an attempt to be heard across the globe, also jot down our opinions in international publications. Our stories may lack accuracy but they sure run high on emotions. And they may set the bar a tad bit lower on objectivity but they, by all means, seize the top slot on passion and verbosity.

No matter who reported the incident first and no matter how accurately it is written, nothing changes on the ground. Turning a blind eye to the incident as if nothing has happened, the administration literally sleeps on it. No one amongst them musters up any courage to challenge the blasphemy law or stand up for the victims belonging to the minority communities. Yes, they perform some lip service in order to score some political points but nothing more. Consumed by protecting their own interests and to avoid a religious backlash, they never try to tackle extremism. It is too risky. The media too, after its initial outburst, does not question the actions of religious forces, even at the cost of human lives.

As a consequence, two or three weeks down the road life returns to normal. All the reformists who wrote a series of intense articles turn their attention towards the political battlefield. This fight between the two parties never ends just as the quarrel between a mother and her daughter-in-law never concludes in television soaps.

The point is that we the people, carrying the camera or the pen, shouldering a responsibility to impel the government to ensure the security of every citizen, including the minorities, cannot lose focus. Hopping from one incident to another, we have failed to serve the meek, the vulnerable and the poor. With our emotional write-ups we only serve ourselves, promoting our intellect and not theirs. This is why it is time for introspection and we should ask ourselves why we could not pen down as many articles on the cleric than the Christian? You must have come across the pictures of the children or parents of the slain husband and wife. Now tell me how many of you have stumbled upon any pictures of the mosque or the cleric of that scared place? Do you have any knowledge of how it generates its funds? Did someone inform you of the sect of that individual? Where did he get his education? What was he taught in the seminary? I did not think so.

Learning from our own mistakes, we as a community, from now on, must focus on the perpetrators of the crime, investigating the seminaries, exposing their finances and their connections. This can help Pakistan identify the evil that lurks behind a pious face. No, I do not consider it the job of the administration alone. You and I both know very well that any government, present or future, democratic or authoritative, left or right, will not venture onto that road. The backlash can be severe and the government may lose its grip on power. To get the job done we must uncover the dark side of these clerics who incite such violence. They all have one. And we should instil a fear of accountability in them through our public exposé. Let us ask them questions and let us treat them like we treat politicians. Remember, the clergy is not Islam. Differentiate between the two. Let them think twice before they abuse religion for personal gains.

The writer is a US-based freelance columnist. He tweets at @KaamranHashmi and can be reached at skamranhashmi@gmail.com

original post available at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/12-Dec-2014/our-responsibility-on-minority-killings