KARACHI: It is the duty of the Pakistani state to look after the well-being of its citizens and make sure that justice has been done in matters where the law needs to take its course. After all, it is the state that is the custodian of the rights of its people. But what if the state comes across as a silent spectator when sensitive issues need its attention or adjudication? It is in this context that a panel discussion titled ‘Rising religious violence: is the state part of the problem?’, organised by the Herald today (Nov 23) at 6pm at T2F, becomes an important event.

The recent brutal killing of the Christian couple, Shama and Shahzad, with their unborn child in Punjab is not an isolated incident. The country has been witnessing such nerve-shattering incidents frequently. It goes to show the alarming level of intolerance that now exists in society. It would be stating the obvious to suggest that the exponential increase in events involving religious violence needs to be investigated. Doing that at a time when the culture of debate seems a less preferred option is a Herculean task. Against this backdrop, the role of the state becomes all the more important. Unfortunately, when it comes to matters of socio-cultural and religious importance the Pakistan state either straddles the fence or keeps mum.

This is the subject, along with some other grave concerns, that the panellists will focus their attention on in the discussion this evening.

The programme will be moderated by eminent media person and former federal minister of information Javed Jabbar. The panellists include journalist and writer Babar Ayaz, senior researcher Ayesha Khan, and director of Karachi University’s Pakistan Study Centre Syed Jaffer Ahmed.

Ali Usman Qasmi, a professor of history at LUMS, and Asad Jamal, a legal researcher and a human rights advocate, will join them from Lahore via Skype.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2014