Unacceptable behaviour

Intolerance for difference of opinion in this country has touched a new low amid a deteriorating political discourse. As the election time draws nearer, rather than focus on issues, leaders of almost all major political parties have been launching verbal attacks on one another with a damaging effect on society. In an ugly incident on Sunday at Lahore's Jamia Naeemia seminary, a man hurled a shoe at the PML-N leader, Nawaz Sharif, hitting him on the shoulder and ear. A day earlier, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif's face and clothes were smeared with ink as he addressed a public meeting in Sialkot. Not long before that, a shoe was lobbed at Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal during a workers' convention in his hometown of Narowal.
These acts could not be the handiwork of any of the rival parties for the simple reason that they would not be safe either from retributive action. In fact, leaders of all mainstream parties, the PTI, PPP, MQM and Jamaat-e- Islami, have condemned the Jamia Naeemia incident. Yet, in what seemed to be a kneejerk reaction, the same day someone tried to hit - though missing the target - PTI Chairman Imran Khan with a shoe during his rally in Faisalabad. As distasteful a way as this is to express dislike for politicians by throwing shoes at them it is not something new. In the not too distant past, PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf and an ex-Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim were similarly targeted, though in the first two instances unsuccessfully. The present three incidents in a row, nonetheless, suggest they are part of a campaign. It is worth noting that the shoe attacker and his two accomplices as well as the ink thrower raised an identical slogan, "Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah", which indicates a connection in the two incidents. All of these men are now in police custody for investigations to find out if they are part of some bigger plot to discredit the ruling party.
These unsavoury events should not be taken lightly. They are reflective of a wider malice afflicting this society. Apparently, it was in view of the larger context that President Mamnoon Hussain made a rare statement on Sunday, expressing concern over growing intolerance in society. Such behaviour, he pointed out, leads to suppression of moderate voices, inviting chaos and squandering a decade-long effort to fight extremism and terrorism. He rightly warned that no one, including politicians, religious scholars and others, would remain safe if sense did not prevail. He has called for a "Charter of Morality", urging all segments of society, especially politicians and the media, to forge unity against extremist tendencies. The call merits immediate and serious attention.