The announcement of a consensus national narrative about the challenge of terrorism that is supported by a fatwa is late but welcome. A declaration issued in this regard by the President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Husain, has made it clear to all and sundry that the use of force and waging any armed struggle in the name of enforcing Shariah and also acts of terrorism and sabotage in any shape exploiting linguistic, regional, religious and sectarian differences are un-Islamic as well as against Shariah and amount to rebellion against the constitution of Pakistan. The idea of this move seems to have been borrowed from two similar precedents. Firstly, a 600-page fatwa against terrorism was released in March 2010 in London. Interestingly, it was produced by no other than but our own controversial scholar-cum-politician Dr Tahirul Qadri who has been demanding justice for the men and women killed in the tragic Model Town incident in 2014. Secondly, in July 2013 at Lahore, 50 scholars of the Sunni Ittehad Council issued a collective fatwa against suicide bombings, the killing of innocent people, bomb attacks, and targeted killings, declaring them as haram.
Published by the International Islamic University, the document or religious decree (fatwa) carries the signatures of as many as 1,829 noted religious scholars and muftis. It has declared that suicide attacks, armed insurgencies against the state and the use of force in the name of enforcing 'Shariah' are haram (forbidden). One of the most important aspects of the decree is that it has attracted historic consensus. The framing of the 1973 Constitution is said to have been preceded by a similar consensus. Our Constitution provides for a strong foundation for national unity and communal harmony. "It is our foremost responsibility that we must hold this foundation [Constitution]. It is the base which will provide us the strength to achieve a dignified place amongst the comity of nations and enable us to meet the challenges at national level," the President reportedly said.
There is much hope to be found in the President's thoughtful account that he presented at a special ceremony. He has argued, among other things, that the basic principle of the Pakistani nation was developed in light of the ideas of the Holy Quran and Sunnah and in light of thoughts of the Quaid-e-Azam. The President is said to be quite confident that national counter-terrorism narrative will help eradicate terrorism and prove instrumental in reforming the people "who have lost their path due to negative propaganda of aberrant elements". The President seems to have derived a lot of satisfaction from the fact that various schools of thought have prepared this unanimous document in light of the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah whereby the rationale behind sectarianism and use of religion for spreading evil on earth stands rebutted and the true face of Islam is revealed. It is, therefore, heartening to note that the President has made a bold admission about the complacency of state and its institutions towards discharging their responsibilities. In this regard, he has described three decades-the 1970s to the 1990s-as a period that resulted in several complexities. Although, he preferred to avoid elaborating his critical point, the period indicates, among other things, the fall of Dhaka and Pakistan's involvement in the Afghan Jehad.
But the most critical aspect of President's address is his profound lament about the condition of the Pakistani society. According to him, the roots of extremism and militancy lie in intolerance and in not appreciating different points of views, which fostered sectarianism by eliminating moderation. He mentioned that dogmatism, intolerance and renunciation of research resulted in dreadful forms of sectarianism. These remarks on the occasion of launch of 'Paigham-e-Pakistan' recall that in the ninth century, the capital of Islamic government emerged as an intellectual and scientific powerhouse of the entire world; there seemed no limit to Muslim scholars' interests and achievements in all areas of human activity in those days. It is about time we went back to our aslaaf to regain our lost glories.