Pakistan: Terrorism, Sectarian Violence or Suicidal Attacks; Is There A Solution
By Jawed Choudhry
(Translated from English by Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam)
23rd November 2012
Terrorism which started during the reign of Zia ul Haq and has now become our life style. It is our third biggest problem. Take any day’s newspaper; you will certainly get ten, twenty or fifty news items relating to killings. These people either fall prey to target killings or bomb explosions, sectarian violence or suicidal attacks. If fortunately on a certain day you do not get such news, you will certainly get news of killings either in road accidents, or killings at Af Pak border or in a family feud.
We have been in the middle of such horrendous news for the last forty years. It has changed our social psychology. We have become immune to love for life and sorrow for death. Sectarian violence, road accidents, bomb explosions and suicidal attacks are nothing but a drama for us. We just pass through the dead bodies while going to attend Walima (marriage reception). We enjoy delicious food to our satisfaction and laugh out loudly. This lack of love of life and sorrow on death has made us sad from within. We have forgotten being happy, satisfied and enjoying God’s favours. We have lost the charm of our faces. Our eyes have lost their brightness and the excitement of painting beautiful pictures of life is nowhere to be found. Look at any face in this country and you will find innumerable signs of depression and disillusionment. We are under the grip of evil. It often reminds me of an incident during Maulana Room’s life.
Maulana Room’s period was the worst period of the world society. The Tartars had wreaked havoc all over the world and from Mongolia to Baghdad there was nothing but piles of dead bodies, ash and burnt human bones. Once a landlord of Iran came to Maulana Room and started crying. Maulana asked the reason to which he replied, ‘the whole of our tribe is destroyed’. Maulana asked, Is your family also finished’. He replied, ‘No my family, fields, gardens and crop are safe’. Maulana asked, ‘Then why are you weeping? He replied, “Your Majesty, this killing and destruction has finished my happiness. I have forgotten to be happy”. Maulana Room also got sad to hear this.
Only 0.1 percent people of Pakistan are involved in this game of killing but other 99.99 percent people have lost their happiness. I am sure President Asif Zardari, Mian Nawaz Sharif and Raja Perwez Ashraf will also not be happy now. Happiness has got wounded in this country. No one is sleeping in this country for the pain of this injury. These people can be happy in power. Therefore, if we wish to live in this country and take it forward we will have to bring this game of killing to an end, within no time. There is no way, other than this to run this country.
To take this country out of the present horrible situation, we will have to take serious and harsh steps, at our earliest. There are four kinds of killings ---- terrorism, sectarian violence, family feuds and road accidents, in the country. We need to search for their solution.
First of all, we will have to accept that police cannot control these things on their own. Neither is police sufficient in number nor is the appointments done on merit. It has lost its efficiency because of political interference. Corruption has become its motto hence expecting anything worthwhile from it will be uncalled for. In this scenario, government will have to, without delay, make judiciary, Rangers and intelligence agencies a part of it for at least ten years.
A ‘Law and Order Division’ should be formed inter linking all these three agencies. Let the police register FIRs, cut Challans and maintain law and order. Operations should be in the hands of Rangers and investigations should take place by the investigating agencies. This ‘division’ should be responsible to bring all the criminals to justice within six months. Chief Justice of Supreme Court and the Chief Justices of all the four states should be taken into confidence and formed special courts for speedy justice. Weapons should be banned all over the country. All the arms licenses should be cancelled.
Army should search and take all the arms and weapons in its possession and after that whoever is caught with arms should be sentenced for at least ten years of imprisonment. Possession of arms, their sale and purchase, all should be unbailable crime. DCOs should be given responsibility of bringing family and tribal feuds to an end. Panchayats should be formed and the elderly and respected persons of the area should be made responsible to ensure that there are no such fights among the people. And if even after this they fight with each other their moveable and immoveable properties, their identity cards and passports should be seized with a sentence of ten years of imprisonment. The same should be implemented on those who blame others without any valid reason.
Data of mosques and all religious places should immediately be collected and no further such religious places should be established without the permission of the government. All the Imams in the country should be appointed after government clearance. Loudspeakers on the mosques and religious places should be banned. Khutbah for Jummah (Friday sermon) should not be allowed for more than half an hour. All the Imams should be asked to maintain a particular line for Friday sermons. There should be a carpet ban on every kind of charity and donation. There should be bank accounts for all the institutions and if anybody wishes to give charity, he should deposit the amount in their accounts. There should be a blanket ban on every kind of foreign assistance to the religious institutions. Science, Math and English should be made compulsory for the madrasas. Sunni madrasas should have 25 percent Shia students and the vice versa.
Ulema should be given an exemption in tax but filing of returns should be made compulsory for them. Helplines should be established in every town of the country and people should be appealed to inform of any or every doubtful character in their locality.
Let us now pay attention on the traffic killings. Traffic laws should immediately be implemented. All the drivers should display their driving licence, fitness certificate of the vehicle and the insurance policy on the windscreen. Vehicle insurance should be made compulsory and Insurance Companies should be made responsible for the monthly fitness of the vehicles. The defaulter vehicles should be seized and the vehicle should be handed over to ‘Rent a Car’ companies for a month and the money earned from them should be deposited in the traffic police accounts.
Traffic police should be given sovereignty and all the money earned from the ‘Challans’ should be distributed among them. License of the drivers responsible for the accidents should be cancelled for life. Traffic police should have a dispensary on the Highways, every twenty kms and a twenty bed hospital every fifty kms. There should be a facility of operation theatre and maternity ward in such hospitals. The expenses of such hospitals should be maintained from the earnings of ‘toll plazas’. Every driver who violates the traffic rules will have to donate ‘a bottle of blood’ along with the penalty amount. This blood should be used in the treatment of the injured in road accidents.
Note: All the above mentioned modules are in practice in various countries of the world. It can be discussed in length if one agrees to bring them in practice.
Source: Urdu daily Roznama Express, Pakistan