By: Azam Khalil | March 15, 2013 . 1

“God bears with the wicked, but not forever.”
– Cervantes

There have been several incidents in the past that have put the entire nation to shame. In the latest one, a mob, supposedly unaware even about the fundamental principles and teachings of Islam, attacked, looted and burned more than 100 shops and houses, including two churches, at Joesph Colony, in Lahore, in the name of religion, while the law enforcers stood as silent spectators.

If the government had taken some effective measures for the protection of minorities and to control the occurrence of such incidents by punishing the perpetrators after the Gojra tragedy, perhaps, the Badami Bagh incident could have been avoided. The judicial commission formed to probe into the incident highlighted at least 10 points for it to work on so that such events were not repeated, but it was a vain attempt.

The tragedy was soon forgotten after the government claimed that the victims or their families had negotiated a settlement with the perpetrators. Hence, there was not much that it could do to punish them. Add to this, there are many examples where eyewitnesses have shied away from the cases, allowing the culprits to go scot-free.

It is important to remember that Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and love; and it teaches us to respect the sentiments of people belonging to other faiths.

Having said that, both the federal and provincial governments have miserably failed to put in place a mechanism that ensures the safety of minorities and punish those who are guilty of committing crimes against humanity.
In the Badami Bagh case, however, certain disturbing facts have come to light, which indicate that it was something more serious than just a fight between drunk friends; an elected representative, according to reports, wanted to occupy the precious land of Joseph Colony.

As far as the police is concerned, the less said the better. But it was strange that one who has spent more than three decades in the Police Department and was senior police official for the area of the attack, could show such ineptitude and allow the situation to balloon into a tragedy of serious proportions.

According to different police sources contacted by this scribe, it has emerged that the provincial leadership dithered for more than 24 hours to take any tangible action. Indeed, this inaction and wait-and-see policy is criminal negligence. Also, while the SSP and SP have been removed from office, no action has been taken against them.

The questions, however, remain: why was the whole community targeted despite the fact that the alleged blasphemer was immediately arrested by the police? Why did the police allow a mob of 3,000 people to burn houses in Joseph Colony and made no serious efforts to stop them? Who is responsible for forcing the residents to vacate their houses before the attack?
Further, there are reports that some of the cheques given to the people of Joseph Colony by the provincial government have bounced. If that is true, nothing could be a worse. Analyst suggest that the Badami Bagh incident may greatly harm the PML-N’s prospects in the coming elections. However, this does not imply that the rest of the country is moving on comfortably. There have been many incidents of sectarian violence in other cities, most notably in Karachi.

Such incidences call for urgent measures and also demand that politics should not be played at the cost of innocent people. The political leaders must jointly make efforts to create conditions that will discourage occurrences resulting in chaos and lawlessness. However, all indicators that have emerged after the tragedy point to a sense of paralysis that has gripped the political leadership, which has shown no urgency to move on and initiate measures to contain violence in future.

Hopefully, the religious political parties, along with mainstream parties, too will work to find the right solution. Otherwise, such incidents of tactical gravity will continue to destroy Pakistan’s image beyond repair.

The writer has been associated with various newspapers as editor and columnist. At present, he hosts a political programme on Pakistan Television.
Email: zarnatta@hotmail.com

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