Talking with media persons recently about the assassination attempt on Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah called for fighting the mindset, that is giving rise to such incidents - on that, no sane person would disagree with him. But he also went on to 'demand' action against elements involved in creating the mindset behind the attack on the minister, adding that possibly some in state institutions were involved, too. Notwithstanding the claim his statement implies, the identity of elements responsible for creating the mindset that led to the present incident is no secret.
Notably, the man who shot at the Interior Minister in his confessional statement had acknowledged affiliation with the Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA). Those who earlier lobbed shoes at Ahsan Iqbal and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, as well as the one who threw black ink on the face of former foreign minister Khawaja Asif are also believed to have been influenced by TLYRA. Yet, Rana Sanaullah emphatically stated the Punjab government would not arrest the group's chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi despite an Islamabad anti-terrorism court's orders to produce him in connection with last November's Faizabad sit-in case, and he being a declared absconder for non-appearance before the court. The Law Minister argued that the Punjab government cannot arrest him because of the agreement that brought the sit-in to an end. He pointed out that clause 3 of the agreement between the government and the protesters, which has the Army as its guarantor, says that all cases (pertaining to the sit-in) against the organisers and leader of the protest will be withdrawn. Hence "we have to abide by the agreement and cannot arrest the TLYRA chief."
Until this point the argument holds merit. Nonetheless, it is irrelevant to the ATC orders considering that Rizvi is wanted for non-appearance before it. If he has any defence based on the Faizabad agreement - widely criticised as a document of abject surrender by the state - he should have complied with the legal process and explained his position. The government can keep its agreement, but arresting him on grounds of repeatedly evading legal proceedings is different. To that extent, it has a responsibility to obey the court orders. The reluctance to do so, however, seems to come from other factors. One is a well-considered policy of appeasement that the ruling PML-N has for long adopted towards extremist elements. Second is a general fear engendered by the attacks on its leaders. Third, at a time the elections are around the corner, the party leadership worries about alienating its right wing constituency. The PML-N, as articulated by the Punjab government spokesman, may have justifiable suspicions about the 'invisible forces' role in creating the elements behind the attack on the interior minister, that though will not make the threat go away. All political players, inside and outside the government, need to come together to confront the mindset harming the peace and security of this society.