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LAST night was a rare spectacle. For far too long we have watched our country’s leadership quake at the knees when confronting the forces of bigotry and hatred.
In most cases we watched in horror as rival political factions thought they could use these forces to put wind in their own sails. Nobody, it seemed, had the courage to call them what they really are: marginal voices in this country’s electoral landscape, using violence and virulence as strategies to assert themselves in the public space.
Last night Khan changed all that, hopefully. At least if the moment is to last and not run out of air soon. Last night he took an unequivocal and strong line against religious bigotry and hatred that we have not seen taken in almost two decades. The last time I recall a leader of this country being this clear in dismissing the politics of hate was in the early years of the Musharraf regime, and therein might lie a problem. Because Musharraf’s resolve fizzled out as the increasingly heavy burdens of rule weighed him down.
Last night, Imran Khan took an unequivocal and strong line against religious bigotry and hatred.
What the TLP leadership said in their speeches all day following the announcement of the verdict, joined in by Samiul Haq, was nothing short of incitement to rebel and mutiny within the armed forces, and calls for the violent overthrow of the sitting, democratically elected, government. In other words, some might say the words were truly treasonous, the real treason, not the treason of twitter trolls who bandy this word around like a toy gun.
This is among the most serious of crimes in any polity, and the cavalier manner in which they spoke their words, pronouncing defiance of the law, insurrection within the armed forces, tearing down of the government of the day, was nothing short of condemnable. All day we wondered whether this time would be different, whether this time somebody, somewhere, would find their courage and talk back to these people in a language that is both fitting for a leader, as well as being intelligible for this rabble.
When the announcement came that the prime minister would address the nation at 7:45 pm, there was some amount of trepidation that he would either take a weak line, or try to change the subject by pretending like none of this was happening. In a sense, this trepidation was fed by the experience of what transpired in the aftermath of the Economic Advisory Council fiasco where one of the world’s finest minds was forced to step down from an advisory role for the government because one of the mullahs who was on the warpath all day yesterday thought that the man’s faith was not the right one for public service.
That episode was one in a line of deep bows that the country’s successive leaderships have been taking towards these diminutive, but highly organised, forces of hate that infect our body politic. There was also the memory of the so-called Faizabad dharna still smouldering at the back of people’s minds, and the pathetic end to which it came.
Memories were also stoked of how the PTI used similar rhetoric and tactics against their own political opponents during the 2018 elections. But the stand Khan took at night kindles the hope that perhaps, just perhaps, he has learned a valuable lesson. ‘You reap what you sow’ many said during the day as the protests built up (though never reaching impressive proportions), and the hateful rhetoric poured forth from the leadership of this ragtag crew. Sure, but looks like Khan steeled himself for the harvest.
The judgement authored by Justice Khosa deserves equal praise. Here too, the judgement is ultimately weighed down by the baggage of the moment. The biggest such baggage is the sheer delay: Aasia Bibi had to spend eight years in prison before her conviction was finally overturned. Who will give her those years of her life back?
The judgement spoke basic common sense on top of its legal and religious underpinnings in granting Aasia her freedom. I don’t think it is wise for there to be widespread debate and discussion on broadcast TV about the issue of blasphemy, but the contents of this judgement need to be disseminated more widely.
Importantly, the lower judiciary needs to be made more effective in dealing with blasphemy cases, because a pattern has been in evidence over the last decade and a half or so, where the decision to overturn a conviction is being made higher and higher up in the judiciary.
This begins as a rhetorical battle, but soon it will morph into something far more real. There will need to be concrete steps against those who engaged in the kind of hate-mongering and incitement to rebellion and violence in the wake of the judgement announced yesterday.
After the concrete steps, it will be necessary to seal the equation up so this does not turn into a rolling, endless battle of wills. An example needs to be made, and heads need to be emptied of many delusions. The state needs to find its footing against bigotry, and move out of the reflex of targeting poets, intellectuals and other movement leaders who are working within the ambit of the Constitution.
What happened after the judgement showed what real treasonous language sounds like. It showed the true face of those the state needs to be fighting, dissuading and otherwise containing. Using these people as political pawns was always a bad idea, no matter the ends being pursued. So ultimately the right lessons need to be drawn so we don’t keep finding ourselves on the cusp of such battles.
This was Imran Khan’s finest hour, thus far, but he is in the game for much longer than an hour. Having found the right words, let’s hope he can find the right actions to put behind them.
The writer is a member of staff.
Twitter: @khurramhusain
Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2018
Comments (129) Closed
Mr.Imran Khan struggled for the last 22 years to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan which now in 2018 he has become.His reality test as the Prime Minister has just started and no doubt he will have to prove himself.
Briiliant that Khan Saheb has shown his leadership. Bravo Sir. More actions like this will pull Pakistan out of present turmoil.
Yes, it was a great speech.
As past experiences, it is early to make any conclusion.
Sir, Khurram Husain, Congrtulation for your corruage also to Dawn.
I hope he doesn't make a U-turn yet again.
This is very encouraging but every one would be watching.
Paying the price for container politics when in opposition Mr.IK.
Excellent analysis !
IK is an achiever, how ever long it takes. Thats why an honest man who stands by his principles will always be a good leader, not in the past, where leaders saw how they could use any situation to increase their influence.
Who will give her those years of her life back?
A ray of hope finally from both Judiciary and the political highest leadership.
Real naya pakistan...new chapter started...Congratulations.
The nation has finally found a sincere leader. Nothing now can stop this country to be one of greats
Hopefully the first of many sound decisions by PM Imran Kahn! Hopefully treasonous statements by “the usual suspects” will result in serious jail time!
A bold statement from the PM. But sadly he will buckle in.
Religion for most citizens takes precedence over nation in these parts of the world. The de-radicalisation process will take decades to work
We welcome this approach of the PM . Please, remain firm, cleanse Pakistan of these nefarious and traitorous elements once and for all.
Those who engaged in that kind of hate-mongering and incitement to rebellion demand sharia law.
We’re lucky to have a sincere and honest leader at the helm of affairs of Pakistan
@Salahuddin ... If the country is to be great everyone must step up.
This was a naya Pakistan moment finally - with credit to Bilawal as well.
it is yet to be seen how the government responds to these miscreants. one can make a seech, it is walk the talk that will count.
And I do pray we need to finally nip these small minorities and stop them from their brand of hatred and narrow mindedness.
It is time to send in the troops. yes there will be hew and cry, but a message needs to be sent
IK showed courage and we should be happy for his stand. Only when all political parties stand together on this issue, the conservatives will let it go. Has PPP and Muslim league leaders expressed support for the court decision? If not, do not vote for them.
The PM's remarks are certainly a ray of hope but anyone who has lived in this country for the past 20 years could have blindly predicted this reaction from the religious group(s) and yet the government with all the intelligence apparatus etc did not preempt it.
IK selfless true muslim, not gold digger
The question of the main issues of corruption, bigotry, and poverty is very simple: who is in charge? When someone shows unequivocally who actually is, these problems will loose their effectiveness substantially. A leader is supposed to tell loudly and clearly who is in charge, whether it is himself or someone else. These problem grow in a vacuum, which is created by weak global leadership.
Good analysis.
As the writer has said it's very important that the contents of the judgement are disseminated more widely in at least the national language.
The writer has stated that 'state needs to find its footing against bigotry, and move out of the reflex of targeting poets, intellectuals and other movement leaders who are working within the ambit of the Constitution''. I would like to add that these groups should also act responsibly, respect the feelings of wider public and not attempt to enforce their enlightened thinking on others.
Bravo IK! Such courage and resolve is needed to stamp out religious bigotry.
I agree, well said. This 'state within a state' mindset needs to end.
Absolutely! Well said.
Well said sir !
Bravo Justice Khosa! Bravo Imran Khan! Bravo Khurrum Hussain for a well put together article.
After the first stumble IK and his advisers seem to have found their footing. Lets support them in standing fast.
IK reacted with class and responsibility
Your article is the need of the hour and time. We have to change and you rightly point out the loss of 8 years in the life of Aasia Bibi. Well written and understood. Thanks and Salams
It was his finest hour, Khan is rarely short of words but always short of action.
The way forward for Pakistan has started to look brighter.
Bold , sharp and excellent speech at the very right time.
The nation is facing the litmus test. Either we follow the gauntlet thrown by the courageous PM and the CJ or be swept aside by the religious bigots hell bent on challenging the writ of the state. It is time for all the political parties to come together and say "enough is enough" and support the judiciary.
Let's not forget that he was encouraging these same bigots against the previous government last year!
Nice article by the author. Dawn keep up the good work.
Hats off to IK and the Judiciary too! A fine spectacle indeed and shows what IK can do!
Brilliantly expressed . Despite the fact justice delayed us justice denied , one needs to commend the Judges who stood firm to the ground to fullfil the needs of distribution of justice Indeed it was Mr khan's finest hour but let us hope that the action lasts longer
Hats off to IK and judiciary too. A fine hour for Pakistan indeed.
Those accusing DAWN for being biased should READ this article love you PM Imran khan
Salute you sir, I wish and hope some more journalists take steps and start writing the way you pen it, we need optimistic, positive and daring people to built a brand new Pakistan. I dream one day our kids will have peaceful living in a country, where mind flourish with inventions, innovations and advance life, where poor can stand equally with richer, where law will be respected from imposser and followers. Together we can be stronger..
it is heartening to know we have in pakistan people who stand for and defend justice .
I support Imran Khan
S.C and THE govt stnce on ASIA BIBI case ic fully SUPORTED.
Great speech of a Great leader
Hate preachers need to punished severely. These people are pure evil. They do nothing to progress Pakistan but keep it backward and poor.
Khan leads from the front, PML-N was totally absent, PPP took multiple stands as usual, and others were mostly silent. Pathetic behavior of so called political parties and their leaderships. PTI stands out clearly.
@Ali Vazir, not from political leadership, but from one party PTI
Decisive! A very clear and to the point message from the Prime Minister to the protesters agitating against the Supreme Court decision! Highly commendable message! The writ of the law must be enforced at all cost. The life and the property of the people must be protected. The roads must not be blocked to disrupt daily life of citizens busy in earning a living for their families. The alternative is chaos and anarchy that cannot be tolerated by any self-respecting nation.
Khurram Hussein is one of DAWN's finest writers of prose. Happy to see that his talent is not just limited to demystifying economics.
Agree with the writer.
Cometh the hour, Cometh the man
@Rehan, what finest!, this is and should be the normal reaction of a helmsman of a normal country.
Who will give her those 8 years of her life back. the person who made wrong accusation should be brought to justice.
It will help if leaders of other political parties also show support to PM in condemning bigotry and religous intolerance.
Very True. Best wishes
BUT does IK even bother to prosecute those who brought the case to court on false charges?
Let the dust settle down and then the authorities need to bring those bigots to task who have defamed our armed forces chief and our chief of law!
Instead of calling a spade just that, Khurshid Shah speaks against this speech in parliament today for nothing but political point scoring.
@Siva D, He truly is the jack of many trades.
Great speech. Keep it up. Need these small section people be taugt that your violence will have consequences on you. Inshallah time will prove that.
Is it the same Sami ul Haq whose madrassah got generous grant from the last PTI government in KP? Appeasing these people does not work.
These bigots consider themselves to be interpreters of Islam and the guardians of the faith. It is about time somebody put them in their place. Imran is the only leader who has the guts to do this. We all should stand behind him
Brave words by Imran Khan and congratulations to the author for a apt analysis. If these words are not followed by action Imran Khan will be down 2-0. Three strikes and you are out as they say. Hope it does not come to that for Pakistan's sake. Religious bigotry has no place in Pakistan, must not forget what the Quaid said. Pakistan is for Pakistani's not just Muslims who happen to live in Pakistan. We must learn to live and let live. That is what Islam teaches us. There is no place for hatred in Islam. Sohail Qureshi Ashburn, VA
Wonder if NS or Zardari came out and speak to public in national crisis ever. Yes NS said something when he got favorable decision from first JIT decision.
Khurram he is always finest- you just realized!!!
Justice and Respect for Human life takes priority. Arrest those who promote oppression.
@singh k, the govt should give her compensation from the justice department budget. And I guess she will have to leave the country unless she wants to go the way her defenders went.
@Baber Gul, I hope not. But there is a good chance that you may be proved right.
PM speech has given lot of hope. Abuse of a law should not be permitted.
It is about time to root out Fanaticism, Bigotry and Hatred
Justice for all!
All talk and no action. Typical Khan sahab.... another u turn
Nation is watching very closely the section of political leadership, who is standby next to Fanatics in the name of Islam.
Salute to the soul of Salman Taseer Shaheed.
A fallen hero of Pakistan and a true soldier of Islam, who was not very religious, but clearly understood the essence of Islam.
@El Sid, Thank you! Copying another's name is the ultimate flattery. That you could not match the language, education, erudition, intellect and the depth of knowledge that goes with it is understandable. But then no one can. You have a great day.
No doubt this is the finest hour. The question is how is he able to sustain the pressure. He can sustain if the country backs him, else the country will move backward.
The government must ensure the safety of the AsIa Bibi's vulnerable Lawyer(s).
The government must ensure the Safety of the Asia Bibi's vulnerable Lawyer(s).
His finest hour or the most foolish?
It is too early to comment on the present day government. However, the one issue that plagues almost the entire South Asia is that we see only black and white and totally ignore the fact that the world is predominantly grey. We highlight a few achievements of the party or leader we support and highlight few failures of the party or leader we appose. This basically eliminates the objectivity from majority of the critiques we see. The sooner we start accepting that no one is perfect and everyone has his own share of failures, we will start comparing the achievements of successive government in much better way and will be able to make better jusdements and decision. It is here that the importance of an impartial institution like Dawn and many (though not all) of its contributors come into play. Keep it up.
Final moment for Pakistan has arrived, either be destroyed by bigots or destroy them for ever. Only way to do this is through martial art.
Time to get real! Put the treasonous mullah in prison and follow the law of the land!
Nice one. The people of Pakistan should back him whatever stance he takes against these people.if he fails the whole nation will fail and there will be no end to such things.
IF IK can come up with same instance on dialogue with India , peace will prevail.
In-spite of working tirelessly for the nation, Mr Khan has depicted the genuine spirit of what needs to be called as a real hero through his bold words against the wrongdoers and by staying stronger. But the extent of how he puts his words in to actions will undoubtedly be his most imperative task as the riots are rapidly dispersing across the country and therefore, immediate yet intelligent response must be made.
Good speech, followed by masterful inaction. So much for words.
If he did deliver this speech when he was leader of the opposition and TLP was going against NS, then I would see that he did a great job. It is pretty clear why othe rPMs did not go against TLP that openly. We should be honest and understand that reflect in our article why IK can say that what he said. Same thing for Musharraf. I am not fan of NS or PPP at all but we all know what is going on in Pakistan. Our media at least should be honest and open so people get real picture what is going on.
Fairly well written. Let us see how things moved in Pakistan? Gen.Ayub Khan came to power as a result of a coup. He hired Mr. Bhutto who became a leader. Would not accept a duly elected leader from E. Pakistan as Prime Minister.. East Pakistan became Bangladesh and he became Prime Minister of Pakistan...roti kapra aur Mayan...people did not get that but religious bigots gained. He was overthrown by by another General who hanged him and brought Mr. Nawab Sharief as Prime Minister who was removed by another General and he was exiled but brought back eventually and got elected to serve as PM...removed from the job and new elections were held. Mr. I ran Khan emerged as political leader...not installed by any General. He is the first person elected within his own rights to serve as PM. This then is the beginning of new Pakistan. Let it move forward and see where it takes the country. Pakistan is lucky to hav good judiciary also and professional military at this time not interested in governing or looting the country. Keep moving forward.
True,this is Imran Khan's finest hour. But the true rest remains if he as prime minister could enforce the writ of the state against bigotry and fantasism. Imran Khan with full backing of milirary establishment and judiciary passing this landmark judgment is in an ideal situation to take action against the elements inciting hatred and violence. It is yet to be seen whether Imran Khan would take a habitual u-turn or take action.
Imran Khan actual a leader.
Only words from IK. He or anyone else can not do anything even Pak military.
One must share the auther's hope that IK will not waver and will resolutely stand against the forces of hate and obscurantism!
I would not conclude anything too soon. This party is the master of U turns
Unfortunatly he is another white elephant. His choice of words and his body language fall short of what is expected from a national leader. Unfortnatly the half way democratic process can only produce sub-standard leaders. This matter which was decided by courts could have been handeld very diffrently insted of how the establishment guided the governement. If PTI can not revamp the establishment, civil services and purge the anti-state elements they will be not be able to achieve any change. This governement can be worst then Bhutto who was brought in power by people and cheated them. The only hope are the defenders. Mr. Khan is only cheered by elities, establishment and so called anti-state actors.
What a horrible luck for PM Khan.....the economy in turmoil and now this minor issue blown out of proportion ....feel sorry for him....go strong.....
I guess this was written too soon - in the end he negoitated, another U-turn.
I don't think we have to credit Imran Khan with anything. The character was shown by the judges who painted u turn Khan into a corner and he was left with no alternative. Especially since his u turn about the minority member on the Economic Advisory Council. We all know that Imran Khan's credentials with extremists is pretty high and he would have been the first to have milked this episode if he were in opposition like he did many times in the past. What is telling is that he is now asking for the opposition to support him in this endeavour of upholding the verdict when he would have been the first to have exploited it in opposition.
Alas it was a very short lived glory
Now that Asiabibi is going to be put on ECL, don’t you think you wrote this article too soon. Have you thought of retracting it or issue an addendum about your real feelings for Imran Khan and the government?
The Government or Pakistan has cowed down - yet again, Asiabibi is now put on ECL and the SC judgement is going to be reviewed. The article needs an addendum and a revised title. May I suggest : Imran Khan’s Fastest U-Turn" ..... How’s that?
Turned out to be a short one after today's pathetic comprise. Sick
Today, PM Imran Khan, lost his balance! Classic Pakistani two-step!
@RealityBites, : IK just made a UTURN with TLP on Asia BIBI !
@Salahuddin : You will have to revise/reverse your budding confidence tomorrow!
Not one finest hour but 24. Then came his famous U turn. Alas!
Not one finest hour, but 24. Then came the famous U-turn!
I hope state will apologize and offer her befitting compensation.
@Reality_Bites, your apprehension was well founded. It's a U-turn again.
LOL Imran Khan’s finest hour ! Absolutely precious !
Any other words of pristine wisdom sir ?
Well analysed.The great judgement washed all the signs of the judiciary earned so far .and the stand taken by imran Khan helped him gain a long milage ....It will give him confidence too to implement his policies based on gis original thoughts...he suddenly turned into a strong man that he wished to be..it is now that he he has emerged as the Prime Miniter of Pakistan...
.....only talk no substance.
@Shakir Lakhani, how about your ideals AAZ and NS? Do they have the nerves and muscles to even a fraction of the the commitment shown by IK?
Article in praise was premature. Disappointed in IK.
There are issues .... and then there are issues.
As I'm sure you will acknowledge, the approbation was premature in the light of subsequent events. I can understand the urge to perceive Imran Khan as different from his predecessors and possibly somewhat enlightened, but reality - and the very nature of the PTI - suggests otherwise, and soon enough there will be no excuse for blinkered visions of a Naya Pakistan.
A great speech brought to nil by his own deep state within 48 hours.
@singh k, She is not permitted by the ruling dispensation to leave the country
Well said. And many, and I include myself, were very pleasantly impressed by the decision of the PM. The decision to not allow an exit visa was a bit of disappointment however.
Impressive Write up.
It's been and gone
IK government has already taken a big U turn. Asia is on ECL.
@Momina, PoooooF! All smoke and mirrors.
When is PM khan going to mean what he says !How can you run country like that !
Khan's finest hour unfortun
You mean Imran Khan's finest 2 minutes?
Down and dusted.