Need for clarity
THE pressure being exerted by the loose conglomeration of right-wing political parties and organisations that oppose a review of the blasphemy laws is increasing. Sunday witnessed a large rally in Karachi during which speakers demanded that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani declare from the floor of parliament that there would be no attempt to amend the laws. This comes at the heels of the country-wide strike held on Dec 31; on Sunday, speakers said that they would organise a million man march on Islamabad if the government did not accept their demands.
Given that the atmosphere is becoming more charged by the day, there is need to take a step back and bring some clarity to the situation. First, protesting on the count of any matter, including amending or not amending a law, is a basic democratic right available to all citizens. All sections of the public have the right to air their concerns in a peaceful and non-violent fashion. That said, however, the political parties and organisations allied against any amendment to the blasphemy laws need to keep in mind that the crime of murder must be kept separate from political matters. The crime committed by Malik Mumtaz Qadri, Punjab governor Salman Taseer`s self-confessed killer, must not be confused with a means of gaining political capital. Third, and drawing from this, is that the current issue is important for religious and right-leaning political parties, and they are part of and stakeholders in the democratic process. Upholding the rule of law is as much in their own favour as in that of the rest of the citizenry. Meanwhile, the government`s stance too must be examined. Keeping quiet in the face of opposition to legislative reform in the current instance may be a useful tactic under the circumstances. Clearly, there is little to be gained from increasing polarities even further. However, does the government have a long-term strategy to counter the rising tide of extremism being experienced across the country? The extremists, it seems, have thrown down the gauntlet; how and in what manner will the state respond? The time and space in which to manoeuvre appears to be running out fast.
THE pressure being exerted by the loose conglomeration of right-wing political parties and organisations that oppose a review of the blasphemy laws is increasing. Sunday witnessed a large rally in Karachi during which speakers demanded that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani declare from the floor of parliament that there would be no attempt to amend the laws. This comes at the heels of the country-wide strike held on Dec 31; on Sunday, speakers said that they would organise a million man march on Islamabad if the government did not accept their demands.
Given that the atmosphere is becoming more charged by the day, there is need to take a step back and bring some clarity to the situation. First, protesting on the count of any matter, including amending or not amending a law, is a basic democratic right available to all citizens. All sections of the public have the right to air their concerns in a peaceful and non-violent fashion. That said, however, the political parties and organisations allied against any amendment to the blasphemy laws need to keep in mind that the crime of murder must be kept separate from political matters. The crime committed by Malik Mumtaz Qadri, Punjab governor Salman Taseer`s self-confessed killer, must not be confused with a means of gaining political capital. Third, and drawing from this, is that the current issue is important for religious and right-leaning political parties, and they are part of and stakeholders in the democratic process. Upholding the rule of law is as much in their own favour as in that of the rest of the citizenry. Meanwhile, the government`s stance too must be examined. Keeping quiet in the face of opposition to legislative reform in the current instance may be a useful tactic under the circumstances. Clearly, there is little to be gained from increasing polarities even further. However, does the government have a long-term strategy to counter the rising tide of extremism being experienced across the country? The extremists, it seems, have thrown down the gauntlet; how and in what manner will the state respond? The time and space in which to manoeuvre appears to be running out fast.
