IT is unfortunate that the statements made by ANP lawmaker Ghulam Ahmed Bilour on Monday did not invite the opprobrium they merited.

While most members of the house were pondering the Shikarpur tragedy, Mr Bilour chose to concern himself with Charlie Hebdo and offered to pay ‘bounty’ to the heirs of the Paris attackers.

Not content with this, he offered $200,000 more to anyone who took the life of the magazine’s owner.

Also read: Bilour's publicity stunt: A reward for the heirs of Charlie Hebdo attackers

Since these statements cannot possibly be explained away as condemnation of the publication’s editorial choices, in a civilised polity they would have been recognised for what they are: at the very least, incitement to violence and the glorification of acts of terror.

Yet why should there be any surprise? In 2012, Mr Bilour similarly offered a ‘reward’ for the elimination of the person responsible for a film that was that year’s blasphemy flashpoint.

His zeal won him “complete amnesty” from the banned TTP — though his brother Bashir Bilour was not so lucky and was killed in a TTP-claimed attack. So whether the lawmaker was moved by motives of religion or cynical self-preservation might be considered a moot point.

If it is appalling that such statements have come from a member of a party that is considered left-oriented and has suffered much at the hands of religious extremism, worse is the fact that they were made from the floor of the National Assembly, and that no one present saw it fit to object.

Evidently, even those sitting in the corridors of power prefer to keep silent rather than voice their dissent, and thus the need for justice and rule of law go unremarked upon. Just as religious, political and citizens’ groups have every right to protest peacefully against images they deem insulting to their religion, those in parliament who see little sense in calls for a violent response must also express their views openly.

A craven approach further empowers the extreme right’s narrative. What hope can there be if those that envision a prosperous Pakistan cannot close ranks?

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2015

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