Do We have any Conscience?: Support for a Killer
By Naeem Tahir
October 08, 2011
The groups that are supporting Qadri, a murderer, need to be understood. Their mindset is causing the disintegration of this society and breaking it into pieces. Quite obviously, they do not believe in the law and the system of justice otherwise they would let the law take its course and respect its decision.
The court has convicted the killer, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, on two counts and imposed the death sentence. Mumtaz Qadri killed, in cold blood, the governor of Punjab province, Mr. Salmaan Taseer, when he stepped out of a restaurant after lunch with a friend in Islamabad. Mumtaz Qadri, who was Taseer’s on-duty guard and was expected to protect him, instead fired several bullets into Mr Taseer causing almost instantaneous death. There was no provocation at the time. The killer had planned for an opportune moment and acted accordingly. There was little confusion about the murderer as Qadri confessed to the killing and there was no shortage of evidence.
On the arrest of Qadri, and his subsequent appearances in court, he was supported by some lawyers and others, and even garlanded by them. If Salmaan Taseer’s murder shocked the world, the public support for Qadri was no less shocking. Some religio-political parties continued to pressurise the case, making even hearing of the case difficult. However, the court saved its honour, examined the facts and sentenced the killer to death. Now the same political and so-called religious groups are taking to the streets to influence the courts where an appeal has been filed.
Should society remain silent and let whatever is happening happen? Do we have any conscience? Do we realise our social responsibility? Do we even realise moral and religious responsibility? Is our religion only of use to exploiters who can twist it for some political power and blackmail? How can anyone justify the killing of one person by another just because they have a difference of views?
Friday, October 7, was announced as a day of street protests by a group of extreme right groups like Sunni Tehreek, Sunni Ulema Council, Sunni Ittehad Council, Jamiat Ahle Hadith and Jamaat-e-Islami. They chose this day, Friday, because it is easy to collect people from their mosque networks, whip up the sentiments of those present and then encourage them to take to the streets, as if these namazis (worshippers) were doing a religious duty.
The groups that are supporting Qadri, a murderer, need to be understood. Their mindset is causing the disintegration of this society and breaking it into pieces. Quite obviously, they do not believe in the law and the system of justice otherwise they would let the law take its course and respect its decision. Is such intimidation of the court in itself not a cognisable offence? One wonders about the real purpose of these rallies. These rallies have a cost in time and money and the leaders of these groups are only trying to show off their strength. They are clearly supporters of terrorism. They would probably want to have their brand of justice administered in the streets, little different from the mob that lynched the two innocent boys in Sialkot. I do not know much about other groups but I doubt if Maulana Abul Ala Maududi would have ever allowed the stance adopted by the current ‘Amir-e-Jamaat’. About the other groups, one can say that they are mostly the political wings of the terrorists in the country. They speak for the sections of society that have been brainwashed into twisted versions of Islam just like the Taliban and its young recruits have been. This is organised promotion of anger, taking the law into individual hands and making decisions on the streets. Seen in this perspective, it can be termed as an uprising against the country. It needs to be taken up seriously. Those sections of the provincial governments and political groups that enjoy destabilising the country must be dealt with according to the constitution. A government that turns a blind eye to these happenings is lacking in its duties. The government must ensure protection to the courts to enable them to uphold the law of this land.
The courts indeed have enhanced their prestige in recent days. Their decisions in the Sialkot lynching case, Malik Qadri case and their objective findings of the causes of the Karachi unrest have raised their respect in the public eye by several notches. At the moment, the judiciary is one institution that is functioning while all other pillars of state are subject to question. All persons, groups and institutions must review and rationalise their style of covert actions. The street action to influence the courts is a ‘covert’ action to intimidate. I suppose it would be an appropriate issue for a suo motu.
Finally, staying silent is not helping the saner sections of society. Nor does it help in developing civil society. We all need to contribute, even in conversation, dialogue, lectures, all and any method of communication that an individual has access to and try to restore sanity. Let us not allow street decisions be the winning sentiment. Unfortunately, this is what has been happening so far. The most recent case is the restoration of electricity. We all know that electricity potential has always been present in Pakistan. Why did the government wait until the public took to the streets? Did anyone realise the cost of this power disruption? Please let us live in some peace. Have the grace to look at yourselves and analyse the consequences of your actions. Consider this country your own and treat it as such. Consider these people your people with equal rights, as you want for yourselves. Give yourselves some moments to think and bring about change; cynicism and lack of faith will not help but some decent effort will.
The writer is a culture and media management specialist, a researcher, author, director and actor.
Source: The Daily Times, Lahore
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/do-any-conscience-support-killer/d/5662