EDITORIAL: Its dangerous rhetoric and actions ignored by the state, the religio-political outfit, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), has been at it again. Taking issue with the Supreme Court verdict in an Ahmadi Mubarak Sani’s case it held a series of frenzied protest demonstrations.
Speaking at a gathering outside the Lahore Press Club in the presence of TLP chief, Saad Rizvi, his deputy Pir Zaheerul Hassan Shah incited people to violence against the Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.
In a somewhat similar situation back in 2018 the TLP had staged a sit-in paralysing the country for three days after the apex court exonerated a Christian woman Aasia Bibi of the blasphemy charge, calling for assassination of the two honourable judges for letting her walk free.
Instead of holding the trouble makers to account the government was forced to lift the ban it had imposed on the TLP and strike a deal with it, which included a pledge not to oppose the group’s review petition and putting Aasia on the Exit Control List to prevent her from taking asylum in another country.
Not only that, all cases of violence, including the killing of several policemen by its activists, were withdrawn. And as if nothing had happened, it was allowed to function as a ‘normal’ party duly registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The consequences of those actions are now before us. Mercifully, however, this time there seems to be a realisation that the ‘party’ has to be dealt with effectively.
Swinging into action, the police registered cases in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and Okara against 90 TLP leaders and workers under the Anti-Terrorism Act as well as several provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code for instigating violence directed at the CJP during an “illegal meeting”.
Meanwhile, lawyers associations, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and federal ministers issued statements strongly denouncing TLP’s sinister call. Said the CII Chairman, in an Islamic state like Pakistan, no one is allowed to pass judgements on other people’s religious beliefs based on personal interpretations, and issue edicts for their death. Addressing a presser, ministers Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal vowed to use the full force of the law to bring the culprits to justice.
The latter having been physically attacked in 2018 by “these people” rightly described that incident as a political act to damage his party, the PML-N, by “weaponising the finality of prophethood.” The same tactic has been used in the present situation.
It’s unfortunate, indeed, that in a country where more than 96 percent of the population is Muslim, TLP and others of its ilk building their religious narratives around the finality and honour of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) should point fingers at fellow Muslims for political purposes and/or financial gains.
That is because no lessons have been learnt from the past experiments with violent religious extremist groups, despite seeing them turn against the state. So is the case with the TLP. Its egregious activities overlooked by the system it has had no qualms about making a fatal threat against the honourable CJP.
Unless the system is prepared to launch a meaningful crackdown on such outfits, and also ban them, they will remain an uncontrollable menace.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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