IT is unfortunate that the ugly face of extremism and intolerance manifests itself in so many different ways in this country. News emerging from Sukkur shows that extremist vigilantes are more than willing to resort to violence to enforce their myopic code on others. On Thursday, armed men, believed to be associated with a religious outfit, stormed a heatstroke camp set up in Sukkur and started firing into the air. The camp had been set up by the local municipal corporation as temperatures have been scorching in upper Sindh over the last several days, regularly crossing 40°C. The extremists had apparently warned the organisers to refrain from operating the camp during fasting hours, arguing that it was a violation of the Ehteram-i-Ramazan Ordinance. When the organisers resisted their diktat, the extremists attacked a camp in the Ayub Goth centre. The local authorities have shut down the heatstroke camps and say they will be reopened after “necessary consultations”.

No one has the right to take the law into their own hands. Besides, in their extreme religiosity and enthusiasm to ‘punish’ others, the attackers blindly ignored the fact that Islamic injunctions allow the sick, the infirm and travellers to not fast. Considering the high temperatures in the region, the city administration did the right thing by setting up camps to ensure that those suffering from heatstroke could easily get access to medical help and water. Moreover, even the Zia-era Ehteram-i-Ramazan Ordinance allows exemptions for eateries in hospitals, railway stations, airports etc. The bottom line is that fanatics cannot be allowed to impose their narrow views on others, that too at gunpoint. The administration must trace out those involved in the attack and bring them to justice, so that others are deterred from indulging in such violence and moral policing. In the longer run, it is the collective responsibility of the state, society and the clergy to actively resist intolerance and extremism, and to promote a more inclusive worldview.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2019