A pall of gloom descends on this land every now and then. No, this isn't about the winter smog or summer haze. Rather, this is about life coming to an agonizing halt every time the religious right blocks a major highway or two, just to have it their way. After Islamabad suffering several such paralyses in recent years; lately the residents of much of the country, especially in Punjab and Sindh, have also borne blockades.
The brazenness that was on open display last week - following the acquittal of Asia Bibi by the country's top court in a blasphemy case - laughs in the face of the state's so-called writ. A section of religious leaders suggested unspeakable horrors against the judiciary, the army chief, and the premier, even as mobs across the country engaged in wanton vandalism on closed highways. An otherwise powerful state looked too drained to give a befitting response.
This state of affairs is not sustainable. Days like these are not only an anathema to attracting foreign investment; they also create an indelible impression that the country is beyond governing and its citizens are on their own. Only after the crowds, which had scored yet another coup over a hitherto-complicit state, dispersed, did the state come into action. Several arrests have been reportedly made.
The belated action is giving some people hope that the state cares after all. Beware the delusion! Nothing short of a broader overhaul of the law enforcement authorities (LEAs) - in terms of capacity and willingness - will stop the repeat of such dark days. A commitment to rule of law needs more than mere expression; it needs to be enforced by the state without any qualifications. Only then will civilian LEAs, the first line of defense, can take heart to prevent those using the religious card from inflicting mayhem.
Some observers suggest that the state has realized its long-running folly of using religion as a uniting force within and a proxy force without. If indeed that is the case, then the state needs all the help it can get. First up, economic stability needs to be restored so that the cycle of disenchantment for millions of unemployed youth in the 15 to 25 age-cohort doesn't become complete. Besides an education emergency enforced from the ground up, vocational training for the unemployed adults is also required to productively utilize the manpower.
The role of the Parliament, the People's true representatives, also needs to come into full view now. Thankfully, the latest lockdown didn't invite the kind of political opportunism that was on display last November when the PML-N was in the dock. Still, the MNAs and MPAs have a duty to do more than staying on the sidelines. They must, individually and collectively, raise voice against their constituents' basic human rights being infringed by a bunch of zealots on the roads.
Perhaps it is also time for the ordinary citizens to run out of patience. The masses need to shed any and all sort of parochialism so that they can organise for the freedoms granted in the Constitution. Pakistan belongs to all of its citizens - liberals, moderates, conservatives, & none of the above. But in the face of a domineering religious right, the only way for the silent majority to exercise their freedoms is by asserting that they will no longer allow any group to hold their neighborhoods, markets and highways hostage in the name of religion.