There are a few things that really wrench the heart strings. Like attacking and slaughtering members of a defenceless ethnic minority. Or bombing clusters of unsuspecting citizens, which invariably include women and children. Or burning the homes of a religious minority. The new flavour of the month is orange, the colour of an arson attack. This time, it was the Christians who were at the receiving end of the fuse. There were the usual reactions. His Lordship took suo-motu notice. The government expressed the usual regrets. An inquiry was set up, the results of which nobody will read or implement. The police and Rangers, as usual, timed their arrival well after the place looked like Mannheim after an RAF raid in World War II. And all this was happening while President Asif Zardari was doing his bit for president and country by trying to solve the energy crisis. And Qaim Ali Shah, master of conciliation and compromise, was singing his swan song and gloating over the glorious achievements of the PPP government in Sindh during the last five years. However, the latest information that has come down the pike is that there has been a slight stirring in the wind in Lahore. After all, somebody remembered that there are Pakistani Christians in the army, navy and air force who have bravely fought and defended their homeland in the pointless wars with India.
The minorities in Pakistan continue to live in constant dread of being attacked or molested. In fact, a newspaper wag in the Karachi Press Club suggested that as so many amendments have been made to the 1973 Constitution, which has now become a moth-eaten document, there is a need to amend paragraph six of the Preamble to the 1973 Constitution as successive governments appear to have been totally incapable of implementing the relevant clause. In case some of you haven’t seen the passage, it reads as follows: “Wherein adequate protection should be made for the minorities freely to profess and practice their religions and their cultures”. Without being accused of quibbling with words, the declaration used is “should” not “will”. Does this mean that protection will be left to the pleasure and caprice of the government in power? The only time such a clause was wilfully implemented in Pakistan was during the period 1947 to 1970. There was, of course, the episode of the Qadiani riots in Punjab. But the historical fact is that the Ahmadis were not officially declared non-Muslims until they were excommunicated by the parliament led by Mr ZA Bhutto, which was formed after the eastern wing was wrenched out of the combine.
In his column in The Express Tribune, Yaqoob Khan Bangash did a bit of tongue-in-cheek sermonising when he asked all minorities to leave Pakistan. Even if this was financially possible, where the hell would these people go? The days of Ayub Khan when Pakistanis could travel freely to all parts of the globe at four rupees to the dollar are long forgotten. Nobody wants Pakistanis anywhere, anymore, except in parts of the Gulf where foreigners have no legal rights, and the Far East, provided they bring plenty of cash. They are isolated at immigration counters at Western airports, on suspicion of being potential terrorists. Mind you, Pakistani Hindus and Christians have a much better chance of getting a US visa than somebody with a strictly identifiable Muslim name. So those who can make it, get the hell out of here. Those who can’t should pray that the next Lucomo who misgoverns the country should keep the promises he makes to the masses.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2013.

A CURIOUS story in a local English daily caught my eye the other day. It seemed the Sri Lanka Muslim Council had given in to demands that meat could be sold without halal certification. This is a huge success for radical Buddhist groups who have been orchestrating an anti-Muslim campaign for the last few years.

Mosques have been attacked, prayers disrupted, and Muslims in general accused of being anti-state. The Muslim Tamil National Alliance has written to the Secretary General of the United Nations, asking him for protection, and protesting against this nasty campaign.

Leading the anti-Muslim charge is a group called the Bodu Bela Sena, or Buddhist Force. Headed by ultra-nationalistic monks, the group follows a xenophobic agenda of “Sri Lanka for the Buddhists”. Of late, Buddhist monks have begun playing a growing and retrogressive role in the island’s politics.

The monks first flexed their muscles to shore up the Rajapakse government’s resolve to crush the Tamil insurgency. First, they blocked any possibility of compromise by offering the Tamil Tigers greater autonomy. To build up pressure, they formed a political party and won enough seats to take a place in the coalition government.

Then, when President Mahinda Rajapakse’s brother, defence secretary Gotabaya, was facing difficulties in finding enough recruits for the army, a group of monks fanned out across the Buddhist areas to motivate thousands of young men. These recruits were assured that they would not lose karma by fighting and killing in a war as they would be doing so in the cause of Buddhism.

The brutal civil war ended nearly four years ago in a bloodbath that is now the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism from abroad. The ongoing session of the UN Human Rights Commission at Geneva is about to vote on a resolution initiated by the US, demanding an international investigation into the fate of tens of thousands of Tamils said to be killed in the last days of the fighting in the north of the island.

Against this backdrop, it is odd that the government is doing so little to clamp down on the anti-Muslim campaign. Should it gain support and traction, the results could be very bad news. Muslims are mostly concentrated in three areas: in and around Galle and Colombo, and in the coastal areas of the north-east. The latter are mostly poor fishermen, while urban Muslims are heavily represented in business and the professions.

According to unofficial reports, the 2011 census indicates that Muslims form around 10 per cent of the total population of 21.4 million. This is a substantial increase from the 7.6 pc in the last census. One reason the new census figures have not been officially released is said to be the disquiet the increase in the number of Muslims might cause among the majority.

Already, Muslims in the north have been subjected to ethnic cleansing by the Tamil Tigers in the early nineties. Thousands were driven southward from their homes and farms in the mostly Tamil north. After the war ended, and they tried to reclaim their property, they were subjected to great hostility by Sinhalese farmers who had grabbed much of the land. Most of the displaced Muslims have settled around Colombo, and their children consider the capital their home.

One factor that is probably driving the anti-Muslim campaign is envy. Urban Muslims have fared relatively well over the years, and have cornered the lucrative gemstone market. Others have gone into real estate and construction. Many have made a name for themselves in the legal profession. And while a few have gone into politics, they recognise that they can never hope to rise to the top. By and large, they have kept a low profile.

A number of Muslim families in Galle and Matra pride themselves on their descent from Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka centuries ago. Others have come from the Indian coast. There is a small and wealthy Bohra community in Colombo. Many northern Muslims descended from Malays who settled along the coast.

Thus, Sri Lankan Muslims represent an ethnic mix who have helped in creating prosperity and diversity. So far, at least, they have got along well with their neighbours. However, despite centuries of living together, integration has been slow. Like most minorities, Muslims tend to stick together, maintaining their dress code and diet. Women usually wear some form of hijab, and many Muslim men wear beards and skull caps.

Even liberal Sinhalese accuse Muslims of not keeping their streets clean, and generally staying aloof from the mainstream.

Inter-marriage between Muslims and Sinhalese are limited to the elites. But everybody acknowledges their hard work and sound business ethics.

The civil war and the way it ended has exploded the myth of the peaceful Buddhists. There is thus a genuine concern over the ongoing anti-Muslim campaign: observers recognise the potential for a vicious pogrom should the government not step in.

However, the ugly reality is that the Buddhist majority are a far larger vote bank than the Muslims.

Many are puzzled by how and why anti-Muslim feelings have spread so quickly. After all, after the end of the civil war in 2009, it had been widely assumed that the restoration of peace would heal the ethnic wounds opened during decades of conflict. Sadly, the government has made little effort to reach out to a defeated and demoralised Tamil community.

One theory is that the triumphant Sinhalese fringe elements on the extreme right need a fresh target for their xenophobia. Some in the business community are eyeing the assets of their successful Muslim competitors. Politicians are seeking to tap into the strong sense of Buddhist identity that was pumped up during the last stages of the war. The recent execution of a young Sri Lankan maid in Saudi Arabia on flimsy charges provided more ammunition to the extremists.

None of this is good news for the peaceful and prosperous Muslim community in Sri Lanka. Hopefully, the government will check the vicious propaganda doing the rounds and prevent an explosion.

http://dawn.com/2013/03/18/sri-lanka...-under-threat/

__________________
"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

By: Dr Irfan Zafar | March 17, 2013 .

We are Muslims". In the name of protecting our religion, we destroyed over 150 houses, dragging out and burning the possessions of the inhabitants of a Christian colony in the Badami Bagh area of Lahore. Although most of the residents had fled before the ransacking of the property, but there were heartbreaking scenes witnessed of women and children screaming in fear as they ran from the mob.

"We are the followers of Holy Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)". We took hold of a Christian cross, lighted a bonfire, and danced around it in triumph.
"We are the protectors of the life and property of the minorities". We came in thousands, carrying with us cans of petrol to inflict maximum damage in the shortest span of time.

"We are the protectors of a faith having 2.2 billion Muslims spread in more than 200 countries". There was organisation, planning, and a determination on our part to drive the Christians out from their homes and, perhaps, harm them. “Are we Muslims?” I doubt.

Edgar Allan Poe, an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, once said: "I become insane with long intervals of horrible sanity." The "horrible sanity" exhibited by the mob was nerve-shattering. Today, I struggle to move my pen to write a few words of sanity, while being immersed in a perpetual unconscious state of prolonged insanity.

The past, like the present, looks so vivid when remembering the words of our Quaid just a few days before the creation of Pakistan, while inaugurating the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, when he talked of an inclusive and pluralist democracy promising equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their religion, caste or creed.

During a broadcast talk to the people of the US on Pakistan (recorded February 1948), the Quaid said: “We have many non-Muslims - Hindus, Christians and Parsis - but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizen and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.”

The Quaid died long time back and whatever remains of his words, unfortunately, carries no meaning in this age of total fanaticism.

Pakistan was conceived as a country where every citizen will live in harmony, while practicing their individual faiths without interfering in the beliefs of others. It was supposed to equally belong to the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and all other minorities living in it. Pakistanis first! We seem to have lost that concept and essence of our conception.

The Quaid’s vision of Pakistan was in line with the true spirit of Islamic injunctions. But it has now been ignored in favour of misdirected ignorant orthodoxy that is pushing the nation towards complete inhalation. Self-interest infested interpretations of religion has tormented religion beyond recognition, thus turning it into a saleable commodity.

The bigger irony is that the majority is afraid to speak up against this backwardness, which even labelled Baba Bulleh Shah, a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher as a non-Muslim.

For the ones who understand religion correctly, backed by in-depth study of its injunction, Islam carries within itself an inherent attribute of a code of conduct where the sanctity of all the faiths is preserved, thus forming the very foundation of the Islamic beliefs.

The Quran says: “Had God willed, they had not been idolatrous. We have not set thee as a keeper over them, nor art thou responsible for them” (6:107) and “Do not revile those unto whom they pray beside God, lest they wrongfully revile God through ignorance” (6:108). Islam does not preach coercion of believers of other faiths, as the Holy Quran says: “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256) and “(So) for you is your religion and for me is my religion” (109:6).

According to Abu Dawood 3:170, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Beware! If anyone dared oppress a member of minority community or usurped his right or tortured him more than his endurance or took something away forcibly without his consent, I would fight (against such Muslims) on his behalf on the Day of Judgment.”

At another point the Prophet (pbuh) maintained: “Whoever killed a member of a minority community, he would not smell the fragrance of paradise, though the fragrance of paradise would cover the distance of 40 years (of travelling)” (Ibne Rushd, Badiya-tul-Mujtahid, 2:299).

Pakistan’s founders were not fanatics, but poets and intellectuals. We are now living in a country where killing human beings and destroying their life and property using religion as a weapon has almost become a norm.

Look at the plight of Islam today, where there is a focus only on trivial issues, while the real issues like the need for education and learning, as laid down in the Quran and the Hadith, seem to have been forgotten.

What needs to be understood is that someone’s faith is not anything physical that can be eliminated by bullets or silenced by threats. What needs to be understood is that there can be causes worth dying for, but there cannot be any worth killing for. How many more human beings will we kill to "preserve" our religion? Let there be an end to this deafening madness; for else, we are destined to be doomed.

The writer is a PhD in Information Technology, alumni of King’s College London and a social activist. He is life member of the Pakistan Engineering Council and senior international editor for IT Insight Magazine. He has authored two books titled Understanding Telecommunications and Living In The Grave and several research papers. Email: drirfanzafar@gmail.com Twitter: @drirfanzafar

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...ing-minorities

By: Khalid Iqbal | March 18, 2013 .

The unfortunate incident of Joseph Colony in Lahore, where homes, shops and Churches of the Christian community were set on fire, brought collective shame and embarrassment for the entire Pakistani nation.

Each time an incident of violence against the minority community takes place, we think that nothing could have been worse. But soon after, another episode presents a yet bigger challenge and we witness acts of greater insanity, inhumanity and brutality. It seems that the armed groups with sectarian, religious and ethnic orientations in Pakistan are continuously engaged in their effort of tearing apart the entire fabric of Pakistani society.

The factors and agents responsible for the ongoing madness are complexly intertwined: mobs can be activated on as required, manipulators hold the reins of power and tolerance has lost its rightful place in national discourse.
The Badami Bagh incident is a part of the strategy to keep the Pakistani society off balance through exploitation of vulnerabilities in a quick succession. Unfortunately, no one has ever been punished meaningfully for earlier similar occurrences. For example, nobody has yet been taken to justice for the 2009 burning of Christian homes in Shanti Nagar, Gojra; in that unfortunate incident, eight Christians were burnt alive.

Anyway, the abhorring image of young men hurling a Christian cross onto a bonfire and others displaying triumphant mood was certainly a shameful act. Fortunately, there was no loss of life, though there was massive loss of property. The silver lining was that the protest against this ghastly occurrence was nationwide, cutting across all ethno-sectarian divides.

Thousands of Christians and Muslims took to the streets across the country, demanding better protection for the minorities. The rebuilding of property commenced immediately and the Supreme Court assumed charge almost spontaneously.

The Badami Bagh incident was, indeed, another attempt to tarnish the image of Pakistan. When such incidents take place, the international media finds it easy to reinforce the bias that minorities are unsafe in Pakistan.

The tenor of the violence in Lahore was unexpected; it indicates that there could be more incidents of similar nature in the coming days. It seems that one of the objectives, undercutting these incidents constructed around traditional fault lines, is to disrupt the election schedule.

Against this backdrop, while reprimanding the Inspector General (IG) Punjab, the Supreme Court inquired: why security measures were not taken when there were prior reports of trouble in the area and whether the attack was a property-related matter?

According to eyewitnesses, the police stood as silent spectators when the crime was being committed and did nothing to stop it. Surely, it was a crisis of state power that had lost the ability to subdue the armed groups and establish order. But once the jigsaw pieces are put together, the incident emerges to be a well planned scheme woven around a dubious plot of blasphemy.

Movie like fiction was enacted to grab the prime land. All this came after a Muslim barber accused his Christian friend, Sawan Masih, of uttering derogatory words, reportedly, while both were consuming liquor! After nearly two days of rumour-mongering, the accused person was taken into police custody for investigation; yet the attack took place.

There was nothing that spoke of spontaneity. The rioters, carrying cans of petrol, came in numbers and were fully prepared to do the damage. They were well organised, had done adequate planning and were determined not only to cause the exodus, but also ensure that the fleeing persons do not return back to their homes. The police contingent, though present, did not make a worthwhile effort to pre-empt and prevent the loot and arson. The behaviour of police was, indeed, a mirror reflection of the Gojra episode.

It is important to mention that there is a blasphemy law and those indulging in blasphemous activities are accordingly dealt with. Only the state has the power to sentence the blasphemer and the law does not allow anyone to unleash collective punishment on any community just because a blasphemer belongs to it. Certainly, it was a conspiracy.

It was, however, encouraging that the Punjab government took immediate damage control actions. The Punjab Chief Minister ordered a judicial inquiry and the construction of the destroyed houses within hours. Also, the concerned police officials were removed.

Many religious parties and ulemas also condemned the attack on Joesph Colony and termed it as “unjustified” and “un-Islamic”. Their role, however, does not finish here; it must translate into a code of conduct calling for restraint on the onset of such incidents. The only way to prevent further attempts to take the law into one’s own hands is to punish the perpetrators. This will only be achieved by ensuring that the law takes its due course.
Certainly paltry compensation for each family by the Punjab government will not heal the scars of the families, who have lost their homes and valuables. It would, nevertheless, help in their early rehabilitation. The police claims to have arrested some of the perpetrators, but it remains to be seen if they will be convicted. Undoubtedly, courage must be found to stop and fight this madness.

In Pakistan, religious intolerance, violence and anger are on a rampage. Religion is used as a tool for deflecting empathy from those outside particular sectarian and religious affiliations. As a society, we are fast approaching the point where none of us is safe.

Addressing the current crisis involves uniting state organisations with societal traditions. There are many things we need to tackle if similar incidents are to be prevented in future. We need to deal with extremism on a wider level. The voice of love, reason and human solidarity that underwrites our literature, music and folk cultures must not be lost in the storm of irrationality.

It is expected that vulnerability to ethno-sectarian incidents would increase manifold during the coming days, as the caretaker setup takes over, with its primary focus on the execution of electoral process.

Moreover, the maintenance of law and order would assume an election-related bias. There would, indeed, be added onus on the law enforcement agencies to be vigilant to ward off such unfortunate incidents, while ensuring peace and order before, during and after the elections.

The writer is a retired air commodore and former assistant chief of air staff of the Pakistan Air Force. At present, he is a member of the visiting faculty at the PAF Air War College, Naval War College and Quaid-i-Azam University. Email: khalid3408@gmail.com

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...rno-and-beyond

By: Kunwar Khuldune Shahid


It is a melancholy object to those, who are the champions of humanity, when they see the state of the minorities in this country. They see misery, discrimination and intolerance as non-Muslims continue to suffer at the hands of their religious identity. Mothers, instead of praying for the sustenance of their family, beg the deity to ensure their children return home alive. These children are nurtured in religious revulsion, and as they grow up, they either acquiesce to the bigotry and accept their status as second-class citizens or leave their dear native country to fight for their right to be recognised as human beings.

I think it is unanimously agreed by all sane parties that the plight of religious minorities, that has seen them being reduced to unproductive citizens, is indeed one of the greatest grievances of the country. And so anyone, who can come up with an inexpensive method of making the minorities useful and sound members of Pakistan, would deserve a statue to be erected in their name. However, my intention is not merely limited to enhancing the utility of non-Muslims in Pakistan. The idea can eventually be extrapolated to include non-Muslims all over the globe.

On my part, I have gone through every concerned scripture – divine or otherwise –throughout the past many years that I’ve mulled the issue. Many connoisseurs have come forward with their theories to answer the minority question, but every one of them, in my humble opinion, has fallen short of coming up with a well-rounded scheme to ensure that minorities become fruitful state members and in turn see their social status climb up the pecking order.

The pros and cons; the rationalities and absurdities; the economics, mathematics, geography, religion and ethics; everything has been factored into this plan that would benefit both the country as a whole and the condition of the minorities. The scheme would help Pakistan overcome many of the predicaments that it faces – namely religious extremism, energy crisis, fiscal deficit, corruption, population growth, air pollution, etc – and give the religious minorities the opportunity to finally get the acknowledgement of the Muslims.

There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme: it will prevent the suicide bombings and that horrid practice of targeted killings, which is, alas, too frequent in this country. The religious divisions and animosities would also be sorted out, which would convert this shambolic country into a hub of tranquility.

The number of souls in this Islamic republic being usually reckoned 190 million, of these I calculate around 35 million Shias, 2.1 million Christians, 1.1 million Hindus, 300,000 Ahmadis, 100,000 Baha’is and 20,000 Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis each. Furthermore there are many atheists, agnostics and apostates in the country whose count is unknown. I calculate the total population of the minorities to be around 40 million – which is over 21 percent of the total population – from which I subtract 10 million, who can be manipulated or coerced into converting to the right kind of Islam. Of the remaining 30 million I further subtract 5 million that can be compelled to hide their religious identity and to pretend to be the right kind of Muslims. Of the 25 million that would remain, around two million can be driven out of the country for good.

There should only remain around 23 million people who would be classified as religious minority. The question therefore is: how this number can be involved in doing something constructive for the country that also results in national peace, which under the current state of affairs is absolutely impossible by every single scheme hitherto proposed? For, they can neither be employed in the clergy nor as religious teachers. They cannot be relied upon as doctors or engineers. They cannot be assigned a role in the media, politics, education, bureaucracy, law enforcing authorities, or in any other sector where they would have any sort of power or any inkling of influence over the public opinion.

Taking the average weight of a Pakistani to be around 50kg, which when multiplied by 23 million, gives us 1.150 billion kilograms (1.150 million tonnes) of human resource. Taking estimation errors into account, we should have at least 1 million tonnes of mass available.

I shall now humbly put forward my own plan, which I hope would not be liable to the least objection.

I have been assured by a very knowing Saudi physicist that a non-Muslim corpse after undergoing chemical conversion, is an invaluable source of energy. It has an energy content of around 35 megajoules (MJ)/kg, which puts it in the middle of coal (25 to 30 MJ/kg) and crude oil (42 MJ/kg) on the energy scale. And hence from 1 million tonnes of the aforementioned human resource, we can extract 35 billion MJ of energy.

An average power plant produces 1,000 megawatts or 1,000 MJ per second. 35 billion MJ of energy would give an average power plant 35,000,000 seconds (405 days) worth of power. This number is derived from merely those non-Muslims that are alive, when one factors in the graveyards, this number jumps to around 700 days (around two years) worth of power from a national power plant. This should considerably reduce power outages, and bridge the energy deficit in the country.

A truly worthy religious scholar and an expert on non-Muslims, was extremely pleased after hearing my plan. He was of the opinion that if his definition of a non-Muslim is used in this energy generation process, the sample mass would prodigiously increase, giving us up to three years worth of power. Another well-reputed personality revealed his master-plan to unveil the Ahmadis, apostates, atheists and agnostics, since these are the hardest to detect.

I am fully aware of the fact that some scrupulous people might want to censure this thesis on energy generation and tout is as slightly bordering on cruelty (although unjustly so), but they aren’t aware of the multi-pronged prosperity that the project would bring to Pakistan.

First of all the plan would reduce the population of Pakistan by at least 13 percent, and maybe more, depending on which non-Muslim classification is used. This would ensure that the resources available per person would increase. Secondly, load shedding would be curtailed. Thirdly, with the energy input increasing, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) would become favourable in the long run and inflation would decrease from the current 11 percent to around 4.5 percent. Fourthly, depending on fuel utility the rates of CNG, petrol and dollar would plummet from around Rs 90, 105 and 97 to Rs 15, 19 and 18 respectively. Fifthly, the whole talk of Kalabagh Dam and increasing work on other dams would be shelved. Sixthly, you would have religious harmony in the country since every single deviant would be flowing from the national grid in the shape of electrons. Seventhly, all forms of terrorism would be curbed since the project’s supervision requires the expertise of the likes of the Taliban who would then have to be an integral part of the government.

Many other advantages can also be enumerated, for example the project would once and for all bury the oxymoron that “secular Pakistan” is. The tiring debate on what exactly is Jinnah’s Pakistan would also be laid to rest, and of course the increase in energy sector investment would boost the economy.

I can really think of not one objection that can be raised against the scheme, unless it is raised by those that are against the well-being of this country. Everyone wants a Pakistan that is self-sufficient in its energy needs, and everyone wants a Pakistan without religious fundamentalism. Two birds, one stone and all that…

The writer is a financial journalist and a cultural critic. Email: khulduneshahid@gmail.com, Twitter: @khuldune

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013...st-proposal-2/

In Kargil, thousands of people took to the streets in February and participated in a protest rally against the killings of minorities across Pakistan (this time more specifically against the recent Hazara killings in Quetta). What are the reasons behind the sudden outburst of protests?

Why the Sudden Outbursts?
For a long time, there has been an anti-Shia campaign in Pakistan; in Afghanistan, the Taliban regime was strongly anti-Iranian and conducted programmes against the Iranian Hazara population in the country.

Kargil is the only Shia dominated district of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Despite minor communal clashes between the Muslims and Buddhists in the region, Kargil remained peaceful in terms of social relations between the communities. Kargil was better known to the rest of India due to the Indo-Pak war, rather than any negative communal relationship or violence in the region.

Recently, there has been a series of violent activities against the Shia community in Balochistan and also in Gilgit-Baltistan. The response in Kargil to the violence against the Shia community in Pakistan was a surprise. Responding to the call of the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust Kargil, the people of the district held a massive protest against the recent Hazara killings in Pakistan. They gathered outside Jamia Masjid, shouting slogans against the targeting of a particular community in Pakistan. Earlier in 2012, they took to the streets in response to the killings of Shia-Baltis in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Kargil Students Union in Jammu and Delhi also organised similar protest rallies chanting anti-Pakistan slogans.

Being a Shia dominated community, the sectarian killings elsewhere becomes more of an emotional issue for the people of Kargil. Additionally, Iran would not like Pakistan wielding a sectarian agenda to harass Kargilis; therefore the people of Kargil, through these huge protests, intend to send a message to Iran that they strongly condemn the killings of their brothers across Pakistan. Amidst anti-Pakistan slogans and placards, the protesters requested the Government of India to pressurise Pakistan to stop such target killings, and for banning these terrorist groups.

The Iran Factor
Iran’s influence is prevalent in Kargil. Posters of Iranian leaders can be seen in most of the places, especially in the main market; and even a street in the market is named as Khomeini Chowk, after the Iranian leader. The region is forging strong bonds with Iran; besides the Shia factor, what have given an impetus to this trend are the regular visits of youth to Iran to get religious training. Unlike any other part of the State, developments in Shia dominated areas such as Iran and Iraq are keenly talked about here. Even a political novice could give a detailed analysis of the events in Iran-Iraq, and also the latest statements of Shia clerics.

Locals point out that the ‘cassette revolution’, which refers to the lectures and speeches of the Imam, changed the lives and religious standard of Kargil after the revolution of 1979. Unlike most other parts of India, in Kargil, women, almost without exception, wear head coverings; liquor is only available illegally; and there are no movie theatres.

Religion in Politics
There are two schools of thought in the region, both of which are led by religious organisations: the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT) and the Islamia School Kargil (ISK). The ISK is backed by the National Conference and the IKMT by the Congress, and a strong rivalry is seen between them for political gains. The differences between the two schools of religious thought have magnified with their entering the realm of politics, which is indirectly dividing the society. The IKMT believes in the Islamic revolution initiated by Imam Khomeini and deems itself as the outcome of this revolution. It works towards the dissemination of Islamic teachings and elimination of un-Islamic traditions. It also runs a school called Mutahhari Public School where, along with the regular teachings, it imparts religious knowledge and its ideology to the future generation. On the other hand, the ISK also runs a school, Islamia School, where religious education is imparted too, but is considered slightly liberal compared to the IKMT.

The religious and political divide between these two schools is taking a toll on the people of Kargil, and is leading to marked divisions in the society. The fact that one faction adheres to the IKMT, and the other to the ISK, is quite visible in the town now. In the whole process, the role, significance, and work of the Hill Development Council are overshadowed by the activities and influence of these groups. Even the divide between Leh and Kargil mostly arises due to religious differences. Although there are Muslims residing in minority in Leh and Zanskar Valley, such protests are not seen in these places. There is a negative impact of these demonstrations on the minorities of the region, as these massive protests are sometimes also used as a tool to show religious superiority.

http://www.ipcs.org/article/pakistan...stan-3846.html

__________________
"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

By: Khurshid Akhtar Khan | March 19, 2013 . 0

The timing of the Joseph Colony incident in the Badami Bagh area of Lahore on March 9 could not have been worse for the PML-N. As the party was basking in the glory of the latest popularity polls, the outcry and the apportionment of blame on the Punjab government threatened to change the direction of the rising graph, so close to the general elections. It takes a long arduous journey to build and a minor tremor to demolish the whole lot.

The rioting, carnage and arson did not happen overnight. There was a buildup to it over several days during which an incitement campaign was in progress. The story of alleged blasphemy committed by Sawan Masih was doing the rounds for a few days. The matter reached the local police station, Sawan was apprehended and a first information report, or FIR, was registered. That should have been the end of the matter, leaving it to the law to take its course.

A similar incident of alleged desecration of the Holy Quran was triggered in 2009 in Gojra, which later proved to be false. Several people lost their lives and many houses were burnt down by charged mobs that could not be controlled by the ill-equipped, ill-trained and outnumbered police personnel. Since then, around 14 other incidents of religious incitement of various magnitudes have been reported in several parts of the country. By now, the perception and the sensitivity of such events should have been clear to the law enforcement agencies with a standard operating procedure in place to anticipate such occurrences and nip them in the bud. However, it did not happen.

The hate campaign in Joesph Colony kept simmering and then exploded. The culprit was already behind bars and under investigation, yet the mob assumed the role of judge and executer, and proceeded to punish the entire locality. The local administration failed to assess the gravity of the situation, or to take appropriate measures to contain and diffuse it, despite ample warning. There was no contingency plan.

When confronted with charged rioters, the local police that was not trained in riot control went on the back foot and advised the residents to evacuate the area in order to save their lives. Perhaps, they knew what was coming and thus abandoned their duty of protecting the lives and properties of the citizens. The field was left wide open for looting and burning.

When the residents returned the following day, their houses had been torched and the contents had been taken away or destroyed, leaving them with no personal belongings, documents or shelter. The police had stood aside helplessly as silent spectators. No orders came from above, no reinforcements were sent to the local police and no assistance was requisitioned from the rangers or the army to avert an ugly situation.

Joseph Colony is situated on land owned by the Lahore Municipal Corporation. It comprises unplanned shanty houses constructed by homeless and poor people of the Christian community that earn their living by manual labour and have made the area their communal living over decades. It is located in the heart of an industrial area where the land is very valuable. The incident is reported to have originated from a personal altercation between two people (one Muslim and the other Christian) that was transformed into blasphemy allegedly with ulterior motives.

The residents tell tales of land mafia interested in occupying the land for industrial purposes. Such ghettos in densely populated prime land are common targets of vested interests. Many such illegally occupied localities are often evacuated by the government functionaries by employing force. This case assumed a high profile and became a national scar, as the victims were the minority Christian community. It became grotesque as the Muslim neighbours took the law in their own hands and desecrated the Christian places of worship and their religious relics.

The usual political blame game commenced without ascertaining the real facts. The hyperactive Chief Minister sprang into action with damage control and was met with a hostile reception by the aggrieved residents during his visit to the locality. The DCO established a field camp and immediate relief of food and shelter were provided with a minimum of delay. Dozens of arrests were made of rioters, out of which 54 have been identified from the video footings awaiting further legal action.

Given the Chief Minister’s past record, the rehabilitation process will no doubt progress on a fast track and some wounds will be healed. However, the administration was exposed for its weakness.

In addition, one has to wait and see whether the cases of the culprits will be pursued and sentences awarded, and the PML-N will be able to win back its vote bank or the whole saga will be forgotten once the limelight of the media fades.

The silver lining has been the maturity exhibited across-the-board. Instead of resisting the blasphemy law that could not be repealed, the flaws in its implementation have been recognised and highlighted. The Christian leaders of various factions got together as did the Muslim ulema of various schools of thought to condemn the riots, express solidarity with the residents and to plead for calm without any religious prejudice. The focus stayed with the miseries of the displaced persons and the injustice meted out to the poor minority.

The peaceful protests staged by the Christian community in several cities in sympathy with the victims raised voices for equal rights as citizens of Pakistan. The media played its part in creating the awareness. It seems that five years of democracy has given a voice to the people by way of freedom of expression and owning the responsibility of events at all levels and an urge to right the wrongs.

The writer is an engineer and an entrepreneur. Email: k.a.k786@hotmail.com

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...olony-incident

We live in a world of paradoxes. Pakistan was a cherished dream of our founding fathers for the Muslim minority of the subcontinent. But after 65 years of existence, it has turned into a nightmare for the minorities living here. A few years ago, it was Shanti Nagar, then Gojra happened, and now Badami Bagh has brought the worst out of us. This residential area of Lahore’s Christian community was torched in a pre-planned move. After seeing the footage of the tragedy, an instant reaction was to wonder as to what happened to the culprits and those nominated as accused persons in the Gojra incident. What did the prosecution do to protect and secure the evidence of the carnage in which innocent people were torched to death? Under the Criminal Procedure’s Code, that crime was perpetrated not just against a person or property alone; it was also a crime committed against the state. How did the state look after its interest in that case? Ultimately, influence-peddlers were able to prevail upon the complainant and the witnesses of the Gojra incident, who perhaps, did not have the muscle to face the lifelong wrath of the locals. They just gave in. This sad commentary explains how the predators of power and money can defeat the objectives of the criminal administration departments and that of the state.
Barbarity perpetrated by religious zealots in the name of Namoos-i-Rasalat have one common strand — apart from the alleged offence of blasphemy committed by an accused, there is invariably an undercurrent of some dispute over a stretch of land. Ambiguity about the title of land in some rundown locality keeps the pot boiling.
Christians in Punjab are a small fraction of the population, with no palpable political or economic clash with the majority. As a community, in the past, its members have made commendable contributions in the fields of education and health. Even now, they are an important segment of the workforce. They live in close-knitted localities and what is needed is a detailed mapping of these places, especially where there is ambiguity regarding the ownership of the title of land. Their land rights must be protected so that they do not fall prey to the shenanigans of the land mafia or that of torch-happy street urchins.
The tenure of the elected federal and provincial governments in the country has drawn to a close. The governments are busy presenting factsheets of their achievements while in power. It is also a moment for reflection as to what degree were they able to give a sense of personal security to the citizens of this country. The various ambitious programmes introduced by the federal and provincial governments cannot underwrite their future, as long as the problem of ensuring the security of the people of this country continues to simmer. Over the years, this has not just been a problem of governance failure but also of ethical failure. We are not inclined to change when we should have. We do not wish to solve problems whose solutions don’t sit well with our beliefs and require us to move out of our comfort zones.
Our urban areas are in the grip of violence. From Gilgit to Karachi to Quetta, our cities are up in flames. The rural scene is not so promising either. The populace in the rural areas is in constant battle with the power-holders who draw their strength from their vast political networks and get their way through these. Our leadership, in the days to come, needs to realise that politics is a learning curve. Cognitive learning involves sharp preceptors to gauge coming events and a need to stop seeing things in isolation. Governance, after all, is all about forming a close bond between the state and citizens through policies, programmes, their implementation and the resultant dividends. If this relationship does not work well, or if there are frequent glitches, then disappointment and disillusionment sets in.
The Badami Bagh incident should not pass off like earlier similar incidents. It should serve as a test case for criminal administration departments, if we wish to avoid recurrence of such happenings. Justice must be served with speed so that no influence-peddler can get any space to manipulate or compromise the evidence in this case.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2013.

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"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

Friday, 22 Mar 2013

Minorities have the same rights to Pakistan as do the Muslims

Pakistan, though predominantly a Muslim state, has a mixed bag of religious identities, including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis and a few others. This creates quite a powder keg of a situation, where one or the other pretext could be, and often is, used to light up not only sectarian fires but in certain cases a burning tinderbox is shown to this proverbial powder keg by some extremist elements that are hell bent on destroying what little semblance of interfaith harmony the country has. However, if the deteriorating situation is not held in its steps, it could prove to be too devastating for the country.
In a conference, held by Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), a case for promoting tolerance and interfaith harmony was made. The conference which was attended by almost all the prominent religious parties, sects, leaders from minority religions in Pakistan and others, declared that a blasphemer has no religion but the blasphemy law should not be abused. Recent terror incidents, particularly the one with sectarian tint and the one with targeting minorities, in Karachi, Quetta, and Lahore have somehow managed to move the clerics of the country in issuing statements that condemn these barbaric acts but what they always seem to overlook is that their statements neither help in controlling the menace of terrorism nor they are of any value as a guiding principle for the public to follow. The government seems okay, as usual, with the way things are going. Even after such incidents, hatched out of religious intolerance, like Hazara Shia carnage in Quetta, Abbas Town incident in Karachi and Badami Bagh incident in Lahore, neither have the ulema taken any step to calm down the ultra zealous followers of extremist ideology nor have they come forward to help the government in capturing these misled and misguided few.

A country that has been in the news for not just terrorism, the plain and deadly one, but also for having the governor of one of its provinces, and a minister for none other than minorities affairs, assassinated by religious bigots, one could have assumed that it might have corrected its course and had put behind the days of intolerance and violence. But that still remains only wishful thinking. What we really need is that more conferences like the one held the other day must be held on a more regular basis in order to provide a platform to voice, discuss and be heard on issues related to interfaith harmony and peaceful co-existence. After all, our constitution provides the same rights to minorities as it does to Muslims.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013...faith-harmony/

March 28, 2013
M. Khan Chishti

The recent incident of vandalism at a predominantly Christian colony over an alleged blasphemy in Badami Bagh, Lahore, startled all concerned quarters regarding possibility of reactive inter-faith clashes across the country. But fortunately, a truly prudent reaction was shown by the hapless Christian victims and their supporters, who restrained their anger simply to protest demonstrations.

Media reported that the violence was provoked when a Christian was accused of committing blasphemy by making offensive comments about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and defiling pages from the holy Quran. The accused was subsequently arrested for further investigation; however, the outrageous mob attack on Christian colony a day after his arrest was considerably unreasonable.

Here, some questions arise that why Christian community was attacked when the blasphemer was already being remanded? Who instigated the mob to burn houses and loot innocents, those who had nothing to do with this alleged case of blasphemy? Are the Pakistani Muslims radicalized to an extent that they would end up in such an irrational and revengeful act?

Such incidents of bigotry evidently bring bad name to Pakistan and eventually facilitate a false perception that Pakistan is not safe for religious minorities and other factions.

The same narrative persisted when attacks on Hazara community in Quetta and Abbas Town in Karachi resulted in killing of dozens of Shias. Targeted killing of minority factions, either Muslims or non Muslims, links to the same string of nefariousness.

Many security experts and defense analysts connect these unprecedented attacks with recent handing over of Gwadar Port operation to China and initiation of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, despite strong opposition by the US. Experts believe that these attacks are orchestrated to discourage China and Iran from investing in a troubled country and exploit the increasing threat of Islamic extremism in Pakistan.

The tragic incident in Lahore soon after the bomb blasts in Quetta and Karachi are lucid evidence to intrigues of international hostile force, who desire to provoke inter-faith disharmony in order to destabilize Pakistan on ideological grounds.

Likewise, dedicated propaganda campaigns are launched abroad with the same pace to label Pakistani Muslims as radical, narrow-minded and violent extremists.

Contrary to the prevailing perception of an “unsafe Pakistan”, all segments of the Pakistani society including religio-polical parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamaat ud Dawah, Tehrik-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool, Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith etc categorically condemned the act of barbarism against Christian community and termed it extremely unwarranted.

This reflects Pakistan’s unanimous stance regarding the protection of minority citizens, while, the timely compensation and relief provided by the provincial government has already started reducing the grievance of Christian victims in Lahore.

Such well-timed measures taken by the authorities truly speak of the value and respect being given to the minorities in Pakistan.

In addition, every effort is being made for the protection of rights of minority citizens whereby they are free to practice their respective religions. Pakistan state officially celebrates 10 religious festivals of minorities, including Besakhi, Diwali, Holi, Eid-e-Rizwan, Chilim Juhst, Nauroze, Christmas and Easter.
Besides celebrating these festivals, adequate security measures are taken at all worship places to ensure safety of the minorities. The Ministry of Interfaith Harmony has also launched a national campaign to promote interfaith harmony and national unity in the society.

Considering all these facts, Pakistani Muslims must continue to express complete solidarity with the affected Christian families, while scholars of all religions in Pakistan should to spread the message of love and brotherhood for promotion of peace and stability in the country.

Ulema-e-Islam must also play their role for creating awareness about the minorities’ rights and importance of tolerance in the Islamic society. Moreover, perpetrators of the outrageous attack against Christians should be arrested and given exemplary punishment according to the law.

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/214113/