http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/13633/the-problem-lies-not-in-our-blasphemy-law-but-in-ourselves/
http://newageislam.com/islamic-sharia-laws/the-problem-lies-not-in-our-blasphemy-law,-but-in-ourselves/d/8469
The blasphemy laws of the Pakistani Penal Code have been the subject of fierce debate and the justification to needless violence since these amendments, under the regime of Zia-ul-Haq. Pakistan was born in the name of Islam and by its constitution, the Islamic way of life is to be propagated and protected. Pakistan was also born out of the dire need for religious freedom of the muslims of the sub-continent. This message was displayed proudly on the flag, where a white band proudly streamed next to the green band, declaring to the world that while Pakistan was a Muslim state the rights of all minorities would be protected. The constitution of 1973 declared Pakistan to be an Islamic state and its Article 33 protected everyone by stating: “ it is the country's duty to discourage parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian, and provincial prejudices among the citizens.”
The changes in Blasphemy laws brought about from 1982 to 1986 span over several sections in the penal code of Pakistan. In essence it protects any public outrage by forbidding the defiling of the Qur’an, places of worship or sacred objects, defaming the prophet Muhammad (SAW), derogatory remarks against Muslim holy personages, etc. It also increased the punishments of the offences.
Since then the statistics of people accused of blasphemy have sky rocketed. Out of the four thousand accused, 1000 have had cases registered against them. Half of the cases are against non-muslims who, incidentally make up only 3% of the population. Then comes the part which made the world sit up and take notice--the vigilantism! Twenty of the accused were killed extra-judicially, some while in police custody. Even the accused who were not convicted were subjected to violent persecution with the local religious leaders calling, at times, to burn them alive--without an investigation, without a trial. Does that sound like the workings of a country governed by laws?
Several politicians, lawmakers and minority leaders have tried to argue all sides of these laws. They have tried to call for amendments of the blasphemy laws, others have called to abolish them altogether. Some have died trying, all have failed. My dissatisfaction is not with the body of these laws, so I will not present a case for the amendment or the abolishment of these sections of the Penal Code. My problem is with the enforcement of these laws which makes Pakistan appear as a hard-lining, unjust, unfair state where human rights mean nothing. Where all you need is a grudge and a cold-heart to point a finger at someone and shout “blasphemer” to bring about all kinds of hurt upon them--whether the accusations are founded in fact or vendetta.
The implementation of these laws is a farce. The latest case of 11-year-old Reshma is a testament to this. The details of this case have been plastered all over the media so I won’t repeat them here. She was dragged from her house, wrenched away crying from her mother, without as much as a thought to whether she was guilty or not or what her rights were as a citizen of Pakistan. Was it a mistake by a child suffering from a birth defect or was it the conspiracy of a malicious neighbor? Since she was a non-muslim, was the sanctity of the Quran ever explained to her? And the most important question of all--did we plant a seed of hatred and fear against Islam in non-muslims by the way we handled this and other cases like it.
Every muslim, in this world of Islamophobia, is an ambassador of Islam and every non-muslim can potentially convert to Islam. Shakespeare wrote “In time we hate that which we often fear.” We can go blue in the face trying to convince the world that we are a religion of peace but how can we ever hope to convince anyone when are actions are so unforgiving and violent.
It should not fall upon the civilians of a country to enforce the law. That is the most egregious form of failure of the system. The result is total chaos as the power falls into manic and fanatical hands. Who protects the weak, who stands between the wolves and 11 year-old frightened little girls? The sad part is that her only protection is not the law and the law-makers but her neighbors who are questioning the accusations and have made a big enough fuss that the police have had to put the accuser into protective custody.
The fact that we have a constitution and a penal code declares to the world that we are a country of laws. It says that we have rules and regulations that govern our behavior, that we have a justice system that decides who is right and who is wrong. So, in an Islamic State, the problem may not lie in the law that protects the sanctity of the religion but in the actions of the law-keepers. All accusations should be followed with a comprehensive investigation. All investigations followed with a fair trial. Accusations of a rabid crowd should not be taken as a verdict, not in a benevolent Muslim country governed by the laws of the Qur’an.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/?p=212517
Being a minority of any persuasion is a trying time in a persons life. Since childhood our instinct is to blend in, to be part of a larger whole. We don't want to be isolated by what makes us different, rather everyone wants to be included and accepted by what makes us similar. But still, as society dictates, some among us are unique--unique enough to warrant a classification of their own by virtue of beliefs, status or disabilities. These groups are the most vulnerable in any society simply because of statistics--they are in a minority. And in a progressive and humane world all vulnerabilities demand protection.
As elementary school children we were taught that the Pakistani flag is symbolic. The green represents the Muslim majority and the white represents the minority faiths. The crescent and the five rayed star represent progress, light and knowledge. Since Pakistan was wrested away from a formidable power against monumental odds to protect the rights of the then Indian religious minority, the muslims, one would think that all minorities in Pakistan would be protected...especially if we specifically have a white band in our flag to remind us of our fight, our promise and obligation. Especially that!
While Islam is the state religion, article 33 of the Constitution of Pakistan declares that ‘the state shall discourage parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian and provincial prejudices among the citizens.’ Amendments made to the Pakistan Penal Code in 1986 during the Zia regime and the “Islamization” of the country strengthened the blasphemy laws and suddenly the 3% of the Pakistani population who were not Muslims--but still law-abiding Pakistani citizens--found themselves in dire straits. Since then around 4000 cases have been reported and around 1000 of them have been registered. The amazing statistic is that half of these cases are against non-muslims who make up only three percent of the population. According to Rizwan Paul, Executive Director of LFA ( Life For All), “around 80 per cent of all these cases have been registered in only eight districts of central Punjab -- Lahore, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Gujrat and Kasur”. This is not where it ends. Around 30 of the accused were horrifically killed by crazed, puritanical mobs, some even while in police custody.
I am not trying to contest or even debate the blasphemy laws. My gripe is with the implementation and blatant abuse of these laws by misguided people with no knowledge, no authority and, most of all, no compassion in their hearts. People should not be living in fear of laws that are meant as protection and as a deterrent to exploitations. The common concept is that anyone, at any time can point a finger and yell “blasphemer” and the witch hunt begins. Some instances rivalling those in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600 where all you needed to burn someone at the stake was an accuser. Neighbors live in fear of neighbors. Accusations are often related to personal grievances, no evidence or witnesses are needed, all you need is a grudge and a cold heart.
But what of the fear of Allah? What about the consequences of bearing false witness? I hope these accusers have their fact sheets in order on the Day of Judgement when we all will have to explain our actions--those who caused such tragedies and those who stood by. And even if one person is accused wrongly and even if one person bore false witness, there will be consequences. Contrary to popular belief, we are all Allah’s creatures regardless of our caste, creed or religion!
Then we hear of an 11 year old sufferer of Down Syndrome thrown in jail for an act that she may or may not have committed and, if she did commit the act, may not be aware of the gravity and implications of it. We learn that a young doctor was accused because he tossed aside a card with the name of a medical representative on it and we wonder who protects them? Allah has promised that he will protect the Quran yet we take it upon ourselves to do the job and let misguided fervor throw us back into the middle-ages. On the other hand, we totally ignored the task that Allah has charged us with...to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I hope that as a society we will have a comprehensive answer for that interrogation or a lot of us will be unpleasantly surprised when we end up in a place much warmer than we expected!
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/07/31/news/national/is-there-a-road-to-fata/
FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) has borne the brunt of US drone attacks. These attacks have been at the center of Pakistani political rhetoric and international attention. This escalated after the unprovoked attack at the Salsala checkpoint which left 24 dead and 13 injured. Pakistan decided to show some spine and actually took a stand against the attacks that result in tragedies on a morbidly regular basis. So much so, that during a conference in Geneva, Christof Heyns, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions, suggested some of these attacks may even constitute "war crimes." Further, his report claimed that these attacks might even encourage other countries to overlook long-established human rights standards.
Every time there is a drone attack, facts and figures are made available about the almost fantastical accuracy of these drones and the number of terrorists it takes out. But the question remains: is anyone in Pakistani intelligence privy to this information? Does the US make the Pakistanis a part of this decision? Does it share information as to the whereabouts of these dastardly terrorists? Is a unified decision reached by both US and Pakistani authorities about the validity of the location of these miscreants as well as the gravity of their guilt to justify summary execution? And please don't tell me that action is taken at such a fast pace that the window of opportunity does not allow for communication, because with the speed of technology and the establishment of combined task forces, this excuse just doesn’t stick. Unless a life is not worth the extra few seconds of thought, if that.
And what happens when these drones hit funeral processions and marriage ceremonies. What goes wrong then? In the few seconds that it takes the drones to reach their destinations, do the terrorists suddenly replace their terror jam-sessions with a house full of innocents? Then again, the news is quick to report that a terrorist was killed and the other dead, dying and maimed were justified collateral damage. After the usual posturing and huffing and puffing by the Pakistani government, everyone settles down as if the problem is resolved. The people of FATA hold their breath for the next onslaught -- and are never disappointed.
Who protects FATA? Does anyone even care? Do our bearers of offices even know how to get there? The present government of Pakistan, so proud of completing a term in office amidst all the scandals, has yet to allocate time to visit the most ravaged part of its country. I guess their time was taken up by the all-important foreign visits and the trips to supreme court hearings.
The people of FATA have never been very high up on the food chain. It is home to about 2% of the population of Pakistan and out of that, only 3.1% live in urban settings. It is, thus, the most rural and the most impoverished region of Pakistan. Its economy is mostly pastoral and depends heavily on access to routes travelled on for centuries. Now, on the whims of phantom invaders, these routes are inaccessible to them for various reasons. One of the main roads in Waziristan, which connects the residents to a main market, has been shut down indefinitely due to the fear of IEDs.
As a run-of-the mill citizen of the world it seems implausible to me that, in the world of today, there can be an area of ten thousand square miles in one of the most sensitive areas of the world, and the government of Pakistan can desert it. “Federally Administered” does not mean abandoned, but it sure feels that way. Its population of over three million proud citizen have been left at the wayside and at the mercy of ruthless militants and nobody cares. The void in leadership left by Islamabad was expediently filled by men with agendas of their own, who believe that serving Islam is best done with cruelty and violence. And true to history, Islamabad subjected FATA to the never-succeeded but oft-repeated military operations in 2008, which led to further destabilization and skewed the people's sympathies towards the militants. It also led to the rise of Al-Qaeda leaders like Farman Ali Shinwari, who was a reactionary product of the fate of his family in the 2008 operations in Landi Kotal.
As if that was not enough, the most innocent citizens of FATA are being subjected to yet another threat. There is an active campaign by the self-proclaimed flag-bearers of Islam against the Polio vaccines. Lancet, a British medical journal, reported the highest number of Polio cases in Pakistan in the past decade. So, not only are the people of FATA subjected to death, disfigurement and disability by incessant drone attacks as well as military operations, their young are denied protection from a disabling disease as well. I would like to ask the clerics, like Maulvi Mangal Bagh, to quote one ayah of the Quran which condones such a decree. Why would a religion like Islam allow the propagation of a disease?
This is, ultimately, a failure of Islamabad. The entire region is controlled by proxy with all power given to the Governor of the KPK province who never ventures into FATA. After all, he follows the example of the Federal Government he serves, a government guilty of negligence in the worst possible way. And thus, the population of FATA is condemned to be the land of the doomed, putting another brick in the wall of Pakistan’s reputation as a failed state, rather than a shining beacon of tolerance and morality that it was envisioned to be.
On the morning of April 7th, Pakistan woke up to the news of a terrible tragedy. At around 6:00 AM Pakistan Standard time, the Pakistani base at Gyari, near the disputed Siachen Glacier was struck by an avalanche. It buried an area of roughly a kilometer wide trapping 138 soldiers and civilians under 70 feet of snow.
Across the world, six Peruvian miners were trapped in a mine collapse. Their President was on site. He was fully knowledgeable of the rescue efforts. He was also in contact with the trapped miners talking to them, encouraging them, giving them hope. Meanwhile, our President diligently went about the demanding job of thoroughly enjoying his vacation and documenting it with photographs of all of his teeth displayed in wide smiles like a trophy president. But then that begs the question: What contest in hell did we win to get this trophy?
Do we even know why our troops were there? According to historical data, the Siachen glacier was not divided in the Simla agreement because UN officials presumed, mistakenly, there would be no dispute between India and Pakistan over such a harsh and barren region.The conflict started when American maps started showing the entire 5,000 km of the glacier as part of Pakistan and Pakistan started believing it. They proceeded to profit from it by issuing permits for mountaineering expeditions. This caught the attention of the Indian Government and started a conflict in 1984 which has lasted to this day.
Siachen, the name, ironically meaning a bed of wild roses, is the highest battleground on earth. Both, India and Pakistan, maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a terrible cost. During this time approximately 8,000 lives have been lost. Only a fraction of them have been combat related. The rest of the deaths have been due to frostbite, altitude sickness, heart failure, inadequate cold weather equipment, avalanches and landslides. According to The News, the cost to maintain this conflict has been estimated at upwards of Rs. 50 million per day for Pakistan.
Who will be the first to realize that this a senseless war, being fought over a piece of god-forsaken land. The human toll is enough for governments to take notice. One Pakistani soldier dies every three to four days. But what of those they leave behind. Entire families depend on one person. As a soldier dies, a family is condemned. If the government could peacefully resolve Siachen and reallocate the money, these soldiers would not die needlessly in a frozen wasteland leaving behind families to fend for themselves in an unforgiving world. There are no houses for these families, no college-funds for the fatherless children. Only a bleak and uncertain future. So the toll is two-fold. Not only does the country lose valuable assets when soldiers die, their children, the next generation of future doctors, educators, engineers are also sentenced to hopelessness and uncertainty. Some of these families never recover. They are barely getting by in a soldier's salary, without it they have nothing. What could the future possibly hold for these children except a downward spiral into oblivion? In some of these cases the only salvation and sense of purpose these children find might be among the ranks of radical organizations like the Taliban, who can exploit their anger and resentment.
Alongside everything, the military presence on the glacier is destroying the environment. While most of the glaciers on the Karakoram side have expanded in the past years, Siachen has reduced in size by 30 percent. Experts claim that half of that is due to troop movements. The waste that is being generated by these troops and dumped into the glacier has been estimated at more than 2000 pounds per day. The garbage consists of human waste, plastic and metal which is further poisoning the ecosystem. The indigenous wildlife is being threatened. The melting water from this glacier feeds many rivers, Indus among them. These waters are being poisoned by toxins generated by the garbage and leaching into the rivers. So, we are basically fighting over a giant melting ice cube where nobody wanted to live in the first place.
But as usual, inflated egos get in the way of logical reasoning. How long will it take for governments to realize that there is no military solution to this problem. That much should be obvious after almost thirty years of stalemate. Bilateral talks are the way to a resolution but egos need to be checked at the door. Make it a demilitarized zone. Bring our boys back home. Reallocate those thousands of dollars from the destructiveness of war to projects of peace and progress. Use that money to feed and educate our people rather than put our bravest in harms way.
According to Indian Foreign Minister, Ranjan Mathai, when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered his help to Pakistan, Zardari thanked Manmohan Singh for his offer and said that he would check if there was any requirement, he would revert. (http://www.aajkikhabar.com/en/news/manmohan-zardari-meet-2012-talks-on-for-avalanche-tragedy/692655.html ) Maybe that was the point where our president could have taken the first step towards a non-military resolution instead of sounding totally oblivious to a great tragedy. I hope he had a great time during his vacation while our troops died as a result of senseless policies.
