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Don’t surrender to mob rule
AN inflammatory video filmed just after the Aasia Bibi verdict has received well over five million views. Therein you can watch the TLP leadership calling for the murder of the three Supreme Court judges who dismissed blasphemy charges against Aasia; hear that officers of the Pakistan Army should revolt against COAS Gen Qamar Bajwa; see the country’s prime minister being called a “yehudi bacha” (‘Jewish child’); and listen to the call for overthrowing the PTI government.
The orator is Pir Afzal Qadri, but next to him is the founder-leader of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Khadim Husain Rizvi. Famed for his foul mouth and colourful Punjabi expletives, Rizvi does not speak here but periodically raises both hands in enthusiastic endorsement. Once an unknown small-time madressah operator, he rocketed into national prominence last November after paralysing Islamabad for three weeks. He draws his strength from heading khatm-i-nabuwat demonstrations across Pakistan.
Had a call for murder and mutiny been made by any other members of Pakistani society, unimaginable punishment would have been meted out. Similarly for other countries: in the United States instigators of bloody insurrection would be locked up for years; in Iran or Saudi Arabia they would be hanged or beheaded; and in China they would mysteriously disappear. And in India? Similar, I suppose.
A similar open call for murder and mutiny by other Pakistanis would meet extreme punishment.
But we in Pakistan are apparently nicer, kinder people. Our normally voluble, judiciary suddenly lost its voice. Unlike with errant politicians, the Supreme Court did not dock TLP leaders for contempt of court. The ever-vigilant ISPR also somehow missed hearing the call for mutiny against the army’s top leadership. Instead, it pleaded for “an amicable and peaceful resolution” of the Aasia Bibi matter because it “does not want the army dragged into the matter”.
And the prime minister? Against the ‘enemies of the state’ his fighting words and body style initially drew wide approbation. Some liberals bravely termed this Imran’s finest hour. But the hour lasted an hour and no more; what started with a roar ended with a whimper. The TLP’s flaccid half-apology was accepted, ignoring the lives lost and property damaged by the rioters.
Imran Khan now wants to fight fire with fire. His current talking points are fulfilling ‘Allama Iqbal’s dream’, and remaking Pakistan as the seventh-century state of Medina. His information minister has just announced unprecedented celebrations of the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday next week, and a grand khatm-i-nabuwat conference in Islamabad. Invitees will include the imam of the Holy Ka’aba, the mufti of Syria, and various high clerics.
With these new battle plans, Imran hopes to take the wind out of the TLP’s sails by showing its followers and others that he loves the Holy Prophet even more than them. But will it work in the Aasia Bibi case? And will it also work once the next crisis starts (assuming the present one somehow ends)?
As mullah power rises, one cannot be too optimistic. Clerics now believe they can take on any politician or, if need be, generals as well. There is good reason for their confidence. After all was said and done, in 2007 Islamabad’s destroyed Lal Masjid — now grandly reconstructed — defeated the generals.
Consider that the insurrectionists lost about 150 students and other fighters, but head cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz lives more comfortably in 2018 than in 2007. No charges were ever levied against Aziz or others for killing 11 SSG commandos. Meanwhile, Gen Musharraf, the then army chief, glumly passes his days in Dubai. Among other charges, he is accused of quelling an armed insurrection against Pakistan and killing one of Lal Masjid’s ring leaders.
The state’s reluctance to confront clerical power makes its earlier promises ring hollow. Take, for instance, madressah reform. Forgotten is the anti-terrorism National Action Plan that called for financial audits of madressahs, uncovering funding sources, curriculum expansion and revision, and monitoring of activities. That’s a dead duck. Try auditing TLP-associated madressahs.
The security establishment must now ask itself hard questions: has its mainstreaming of religious extremism gone too far? Can extremists actually be moderated by bringing them into the political fold? On the political chessboard, was it a good move to try balance ‘hard’ Deobandi power with ‘soft’ Barelvi power?
Blowbacks do happen: whereas a year ago Imran Khan had cautiously welcomed Rizvi into the anti-Nawaz Sharif camp, others who wanted Nawaz defeated went a step further. They allowed themselves to be recorded on video while handing out Rs1,000 notes to the rioters. Politically, this is very embarrassing because Rizvi and his wild eyed boys have gone their own way.
Certainly, the TLP turned out to be a bad investment. Contrarily, there appears to be a good investment. The largely Deobandi LeT/JuD was encouraged to launch its own political party, the Milli Muslim League (MML). In August 2017, its debut in national politics via the Lahore NA-120 by-elections gained it the fourth position, a surprising show of strength for a new party. MML election posters denounced Nawaz Sharif as a traitor for seeking peace with India and carried aloft pictures of Hafiz Saeed.
Another apparent plus: LeT/JuD has threatened neither army nor government. Its spokesman explained away its low profile during last week’s violent protests saying that JuD has appealed against the Supreme Court decision to free Aasia Bibi and would await the conclusion of the legal process before taking to the streets. What a relief!
Some parts of the establishment might see this good behaviour as vindicating its mainstreaming doctrine. But injecting religious leaders and ex-militants into the political mix is a bad idea. When large masses of people react unthinkingly to emotive slogans, everyone is endangered by an explosive, unstable configuration. Ultimately political leaders — and those who secretly engineer political outcomes — also become unsafe. Have we not suffered enough tragic blowback since Soviet times? Pakistan must firmly reject the rule of religiously charged mobs. Instead it should aspire towards becoming part of civilised, cosmopolitan world society. Surrender is not an option.
The writer teaches physics in Islamabad and Lahore
Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2018
Comments (59) Closed
Clearly some people are more equal than others in pakistan.
Words of wisdom. Totally true. Pakistan can make progress only if manipulation in politics is stopped. Otherwise this country will keep progressing inn circles.
True.But Sir, who is listening.Just yesterday IK justified his u turns including this one by saying this is the quality of great leaders.
Dear sir, very good points. But falls in deaf ears.
Excellent article by Pervez Hoodbhoy like always. No one should be above the law. Rioters who destroyed property and assests should be punished and should pay the cost.
Religious thugs need to be controlled , cannot allow them to lead this government.
There are exceptions to that rule. If the mob comprises of only liberals, which should include equal representation of the sexes, for whatever their demands, these must be accepted and ordered to be implemented forthwith. After all liberation of the masses is a birthright which requires no hesitation from any quarters for pondering over the consequences thereof.
Somebody should write a book where the Pakistan today would have been had it not been involved in 1979 Afgan war.
Cannot agree more.
Totally agree with Dr.
Your Voice sir is full of wisdom Yet it is practically in the eyes of Powers to be " toti kee awaz in naqar khana " , No One will heed , No One will Listen , No One will act
I only wish common sense, though not very common in our in unfortunate country, prevails. What ever you have written is so correct but who will bell the cat? It seems we have been taken as hostages by the extremists. It will not be easy to get out of this dangerous dilemmatic situation.
Very well said. What you say is- Laws of the country should be applied to everyone indiscriminately; and reform Madrasahs. These will solve some of our major problems. But who is going to fo it?
Well said....
i hope you stay safe professor. I at the same time sakute you for your bravery and to Dawn to publish this article.
@SHAHID SATTAR ,
What?
@Gopal Kubde, pretty sure that it would be under a soviet style government...
Nothing can be done. This may happen again with similar results.
@Tahir Aslam,
much better than the present one.
The decision makers at the top must take stock of all the local as well as international intelligence. Pakistan FIRST.
Excellent article! Mr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is an asset for the enlightened forces in Pakistan.
stop praying , study, work hard, build things, get a life, stop praying.
Prof.Hoodbhoy, what you said is an undeniable truth. Our national parliament because lack of courage hasn't faced the crisis head-on. Political expediency is preferred, capitulation has become a norm.
What a nice article full of rational. Short sighted strategies will not serve our purpose once again. Accept the fundamedntals of basic human dignity and move forward rather than keep repeating the mistakes of past.
Good and balanced article
What an analysis!
As always Pervez Hoodbhoy is brilliant and brave in his analysis. I hope the authorities listen to his arguments and take the actions that are required. Uneducated clerics and masses, if not controlled, will lead the country into abyss.
Good advice....but for WHOME....???
Very well written. Congratulations.
Wow a great article
The more I read of Dr.Hoodbhoy's articles, essentially shorn of politics and filled with reason and rationality, the more I feel that Pakistan's malaise is fundamentally ingrained in Pakistani masses' thinking ( or lack of it).
Dr.Hoodbhoy is on a single-man crusade, and all the best to him. Stay safe, sir.
The trend stated in 7th century. Can anybody stop it? If so. more power to them!
Hoodboy is simply pleading for Pakistan not to be Pakistan. Imran is implementing the vision of Jinnah. He is determined to make Pakistan a coherent theocracy.
Excellent analysis and great advice
@F Khan,
Give it a rest.
@Gopal Kubde, May I suggest the year be 1965
@Abdul Gaffar jamal, whose Pakistan? For me Pakistan is for only those who pay income tax, currently less than Half a million and they pay less than 10% of the due.
It is a new normal. A new paradigm. Only the brave make U turns. Multiple U turns are not only allowed, but a greater sign of bravery. Now it nay be a sign of very poor decision making, but doing it often requires a lot of bravery, of course by inadvertently admitting to poor decision making.
The article is a voice of reason, but one thing I have noticed overtime is that the tone of Mr. Hoodbhoy has gotten soften. I am not sure if it reflects a sign of loosing hope or just an understanding that the message might be more relatable and thus more effective on the minds that do read his articles.
But as reasonable and logical the article is, it doesn't relief the ache in my heart concerning the future of my society. I just wish we can become more thoughtful and put more emphasis on knowledge and reason to put ourselves among the great minds of the contemporaneous era.
The real decision makers in Pakistan - also called the permanent state - consider these mobs ( whether mainstreamed or not ) to be strategic partners who are vital for achieving 'larger goals'. That some of them, some of the time, break their leash and do wild stuff resulting in loss of life, limb, property, plus millions in economic loss, and loss of national standing, is an acceptable trade off for these decsion makers who own Pakistan. Cruise control button has been pressed, expect no change in policies. But hats off to those who say they will not surrender to the in-coming tsunami from the ocean.
They are now 80%, majority. The end.
Lack of expertise in Social Sciences among some of our religious scholars is a big problem.Their expertise before the industrial revolution was good and competitive.From seventeenth century ,great social,economic,cultural and industrial revolution came.This great explosion of knowledge passed by our most ulema without effecting them.The modern society of Pakistan should introduce modern subjects in their schools,e.g.Parliametary Procedures,Community development,Research Writing,Social sciences,computer science,comparative education.The schools in the world including India are doing it.Modernize the Moulvi.
Masterpiece
So proud of our brave army and brave cjp.
Love you Houdbhoy for your sanity but unfortunately no one is listening in this country.
Pakistan is new country and it will gradually learn the tricks of the trade . nothing to worry
South Asia, historically has been ruled by mob. Politicians understand and take advantage of that.
This should be a continuous process, hope such articles appear constantly to rid people of such mindset instead of only when such case verdicts are delivered.
Don't surrender to mob rule. That sounds like a prayer.
Good luck with everything you said. Meanwhile, live safely
Physicist unite to make the world a better place! Well, perhaps, we would need some out side help. Another good article.
The real tragedy of Pakistan .. so clearly explained by the author..
A great article but people who support him are less then 1% of the population.
You are a physicist not a political scientist
Courageous
@brr, As it is around the world.
don't surrender to mob rule but do protect corruption, nepotism.. and all modern day ills of society.....The writer must remember that this so called"mob" is outcome ruling elite's own deeds for past 70 years.... had they not looted away the wealth and given education and created opportunities for people , things would not have turned this way.
@Nusrat, "don't surrender to mob rule but do protect corruption, nepotism.. and all modern day ills of society" Mob rule is a small price that you pay for tolerating corruption. You ALWAYS surrender to mob rule, if you surrender to to corruption and nepotism. Those who don't surrender to corruption don't face mobs that can't be controlled.
@Rizwan, "The real decision makers in Pakistan - also called the permanent state - consider these mobs ( whether mainstreamed or not ) to be strategic partners" They consider these mobs as part of a nation that supports corruption, and rightly so. You cannot crush these mobs unless you crush corruption. If you wanna get rid of them, get rid of corruption.