APROPOS Zahid Hussain’s article ‘The Capital under siege’ (Nov 15). The protest on Islamabad Expressway speaks volumes about the state’s inaction.

The Tehreek Labaik Ya Rasool Allah led by a firebrand cleric is acting on a script designed to muster as much support as possible before the 2018 general election. Some analysts even call this a move to exploit religious sentiment to gain political leverage in the elections.

This group’s vitriol is spreading hate and polluting the mind and heart of the nation, while holding the 20 million people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi hostage. This mob is openly insulting civilian as well as military institutions.

The authorities’ silence is deplorable. Where are the law enforcement agencies, and why are they allowing this mob to make a mockery of parliament and democracy and challenge the writ of the state?

The people are bewildered to see that all commitments to fight extremism, defeat radicalism and eradicate intolerance seem to have disappeared completely. To restore order serious action is the need of the hour.

Aijaz Ali Shah

Karachi

(2)

AN extremist religio-political party is making a mockery of Islam by its antics. These clerics seem bent upon turning this issue into a religio-political controversy.

Reforms are the need of the hour and the state’s attitude vis-a-vis Islam needs to be revisited. For this to happen, the government needs to drop certain chapters from the text books that promote extremist views.

The confusion that persists over right and wrong has to be cleared.

There is no need for the government to act apologetically and try to appease the radicals because it is the government’s leniency towards radical organisations that is taken as its weakness. Even those who sympathise with extremist outfits should be taken to task by the state.

If the government fails to come down hard on provocative religious outfits, the percolation of extreme views will only pit us against each other. Then how are we supposed to deal with the external threat.

Riaz Mahar

Sukkur

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017