No Action Plan (NAP)

I don’t know if its National Action Plan (NAP) or No Action Plan, at least I am unable to see any action in my surroundings. As part of my job, I am involved in designing and implementing counter radicalization initiatives especially targeting children and youth. Since Pakistan has an overwhelming population of youth, this particular demographic stays most vulnerable to anything and everything that they are faced with. Radicalization remains a serious issue implicating youth in Pakistan. Therefore, the need to decrease and ultimately finish youth’s vulnerability to radicalization and extremism should be a top priority not only for the authorities but for all of us.  

     

The reason why I am pointing towards the lack of action is that most recently I have been observing a lot of hate speech being reported in the print media. Of course, there was a reason for it; 4^th January was celebrated as the death anniversary of Salman Taseer, then Governor of Punjab, who was gunned down by a member of his own security squad. All of us know that there is an overwhelming support for the killer in Pakistan, and I have pointed it in one of previous articles. Although, the rift between the right and left wings had been very obvious ever since Pakistan was created but the problem was exacerbated during General Zia’s autocracy. However, a lot of anger has been visible among the religious community against the liberals especially keeping in view the issue of Blasphemy. Since Salman Taseer’s murder this anger is reinvigorated on his death anniversary every year and a new wave of hate speech starts floating on the various media that we come across every day.

However, sadly, the silent majority in our society fears the highly flammable religious minority. Most recently, Shan Taseer, son of the slain Salman Taseer has been issued a death threat and a case has been registered against him on blasphemy charges, on almost the same allegation that cost his father his life i.e. his support for the blasphemy accused. The Police was quick in registering a case against him, but not against those who spew out hate filled speeches against other sects, against liberal minded people and against everyone that negates their point of view, openly on the roads, in mosques and even on the social media. I hope they don’t consider this article as hate speech and implicate me for this crime under all the various laws that they only get to remember when people like me talk about these injustices.

I almost forgot it was only a few days back that the authorities in District Okara assured the notables of the city to observe leniency against the seminary leader under terror laws for hate speech. Sadly, the present MNA from the area along with a former MNA and some traders from the area approached the District Coordination Officer (DCO) for the cleric’s release.  

Talking of laws, the cyber crime law and the preventionof electronic crimes act, many anti-terror laws and of course the National Action Plan (NAP) more than clearly vows to take action against who spread hatred against others. However, there is little or no action against those who spread hatred or do hate speech. Our social media is rife with specialized accounts that do the job of spreading hate speech against rival sects. I say rival because, they spread hate against each other purposely. It must be noted that it is a full time job only by observing their daily posts and shares, one can easily come to the conclusion that there are specialized teams that are paid to do this, from designing to dissemination, this cycle of hate speech keeps on going and there is someone paying for all of this; and please be clear that there is no concept of righteousness due to which all of this is happening, it has always been and always will be a race for political dominance only being conducted in the garb of religion. Sadly, our authorities observing cyber crime are oblivious of all of this.

If I as an ordinary internet user can observe all of this then why not them, the only conclusion that I can draw from this is that these people have supporters in every sphere, just like the MNAs that went to the DCO for the cleric’s release. I hope this is not true, but then why this no action plan?            

Christmas: A Day to remember the Lost Souls

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The land of the pure, they call it. So what do we do with the impurity that exists in it? Purify it! At least that’s what the popular belief among the common, uneducated (at times the educated are no better) and religiously motivated population is. In a country like Pakistan, with a majority of Muslim population, the space for minorities is reducing with every passing day. It was only a few days back that the place of worship of the Ahmadiya community was attacked, not on an ordinary day, but one of the most holiest days for every Muslim in the world, the Birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him).

Today, is also a day of joy, another birthday, of no ordinary being, but of a Prophet, Jesus (Peace be Upon Him). Merry Christmas everyone! The whole world rejoices. But perhaps, not the Christians of Pakistan that make up 1.59% of the total population of the country. A country that is dominated by Muslims, feels threatened by a handful of Christians. Blasphemy accusations remain the top reason why minorities, especially Christians are persecuted in Pakistan. In addition, Human Rights Violations of all sorts against the minorities remain on the rise.  

There is another birthday today, of a person that lives in our hearts; a person with unmatched integrity. There would have been no Pakistan without him. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, envisioned a Pakistan where not just Muslims, but people from all faiths and religions were free to lead their lives according to their free wills. He believed in a Pakistan, where there was no religion, not in the religious sense, but in the political sense. 

Sadly, today’s Pakistan is not what the Quaid had imagined. The Pakistan that we live today is a nightmare for minorities. A country where the various minorities are persecuted at free will; at least that is what happened during the 2009 Gojra incident, the 2013 Lahore incident and the 2014 Kot Radha Kishan incident. The Human Rights Violations witnessed during these incidents, including Rape, Murder, Flogging and Torching of houses was witnessed by the whole country.

Ms. Sherry Rehman, a former Minister and Ambassador to the United States of America is of the view that “Pakistan is increasingly failing to protect its minorities for two broad reasons: principally, rising religious intolerance and the space ceded to violent ideologies.” In addition to this, some segments are of the view that "state complicity is yet another factor which makes minority persecutions more rampant and left unpunished."

Although the Pakistani state is weak and ineffective, yet the majority of the blame of religious oppression and persecution lies on the society and the people, who are not willing to allow the minorities to practice their faith freely. On the other hand, the majority of Pakistanis living abroad expect the foreign governments to allow them the freedom to not only practice but profess their religion as well.

I know I have already saddened the readers by describing the sad state of affairs of the minorities in the country. Yet, I am not hopeless. I strongly believe that a time will come, when the minorities will be treated as equals and will have all the freedom they need to live freely, independently and with dignity.

Till then a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone, especially the lost souls who have been forgotten in the annals of our history.