3/14/2016

MakingofashrineinPakistanTheHindu

OPINIONLEAD

Published:March14,201600:48IST|Updated:March14,201614:46IST
March14,2016

MakingofashrineinPakistan
AyeshaSiddiqa

AP
InthisNovember20,2010filephoto,SalmanTaseer,GovernorofPakistaniPunjabProvince,talkstoreportersafterameetingwith
PakistaniChristianwomanAsiaBibi,notinphoto,ataprisoninSheikhupuranearLahore.

Reuters
InthisAugust8,2009filephoto,ShahbazTaseerposesforaphotographduringafamilyfunctioninLahore.
Anarrativeisgatheringforcethat,nudgedbyPakistanscivilmilitaryleadership,thecountryisrecoveringliberalism.Anexaminationof
anewshrine,toSalmanTaseersassassin,tellsanotherstory
CouldanyoneimagineevensixmonthsagothatShahbazTaseer,sonofPakistansslainPunjabGovernorSalmanTaseer,wouldbefreedfrom
hisTalibanorUzbekcaptorsafternearlyfiveyearsincaptivity?Despitefriendsprayers,hiscircleofadmirersandonlookershadgivenup
hope.PerhapstheTaseerfamilyhadbetterhopeasitwassecretlynegotiatingwiththecaptors.Buthisreturnremainsasmuchofamystery
ashisdisappearance.Nooneknowswhyhewaskeptforfiveyearsandwhyittooksolongtonegotiatehisreturn.
However,thereleaseismadetolooklikeaturnofeventsfromthesordidandthetragictoanewbeginningforPakistan.Thisdespitethefact
thatthereisanabsolutelackofclarityregardingtheroleofsecurityagenciesintherelease.So,forallonecares,theyoungerTaseersrelease
was,bycoincidence,aweekafterMumtazQadri,hisfatherskiller,washangedontheordersofthePakistanSupremeCourt.Butithasbeen
allmadetolooklikethingswerefollowinganaturalsequenceindicatingPakistansmetamorphosisfromaTalibanriddenstatetoahavenfor
liberalism.
Amirage?
GlancingthroughPakistansEnglishlanguagepress,itseemsthatwearebacktodiscoveringthegoodoldPakistan.Manyinthenationaland
internationalmediahavepresentedtheseeventsasamuchawaitedshifttowardspeaceandstabilitythatwasmadepossibleonlyduetoa
perceivedchangeinthemilitarysthinking.OperationZarbeAzb,whichbeguninJune2014andwasaimedatterroristsensconcedinthe
tribalareasinthenorthofthecountry,isviewedasaprecursortosomekindofametamorphosis.
WehearofsomesortofmutationintheattitudeofPakistanPrimeMinisterNawazSharif,whowasearliercriticisedbyliberalsas
representingasoftformoftheJamaateIslami.ItshisPresidentMamnoonHussainwhobravelyventuredtorejectMumtazQadrisappeal
againsthisdeathsentence.Moreover,hewasquickinannouncingpromptactionagainsttheperpetratorsofthePathankotattack,anda
policereportwasindeedinitiatedagainstunnamedassailants.
Butalmost400kmawayfromwheretheTaseerfamilyisrejoicingitsreunionwithitssonistheevolvingshrineofMumtazQadriintheBara
Kahuneighbourhoodinthesuburbsofthecapitalcity,Islamabad.Thegrave,whichwasduginthemiddleofanemptygroundandislikelyto
turnintoabloomingshrine,attractshundredsofpeopleeverydaywhocometoprayforhisforgivenessandsalutehisbraveryforand
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/newbeginningforpakistanaftershahbaztaseerrelease/article8349076.ece?css=print

1/2

3/14/2016

MakingofashrineinPakistanTheHindu

commitmenttostandingupforhisreligionanddyingforit.Thereareflowersstrewnonhisgraveeverydayandfreefoodservedtowhoever
visits,whichisboundtoattractmorepeople.Over2,50,000peopleattendedthefuneralofamanwhoisacriminalintheeyesofPakistans
SupremeCourt.
Raisingpassions
JusticeAsifSaeedKhanKhosaoftheSupremeCourtofPakistandidnotfindSalmanTaseerguiltyofcommittingblasphemy,thegroundson
whichQadrishotdeadthethenPunjabGovernorinJanuary2011.JusticeKhosaalsoupheldQadrisdeathsentencebythesessionscourt.No
onereallyexpectedthatQadriwouldbehangedgiventhepassionandmasshysteriasurroundingtheblasphemyissue.Therearemanycases
inwhichpeoplehavetakenthelawintotheirownhandsandtorturedpeopletodeathwithouthearingtheirsideofthestory.Theissueis
highlyemotiveandnoteventheideologicalopponentsoftheBarelvischoolofthoughtthatQadrirepresented,suchastheDeobandiand
AhleHadith,couldutterawordsupportinghishanging.Infact,theJamaateIslami(JI)leadershipalsotookpartinthefuneral.
TheblasphemylawandQadrissentencearebothhighlydivisiveissues.Ordinarypeopleaskhowapersonwhosefuneralwasattendedby
hundredsofthousandscouldbeasinner.OrhowitisthattheAsiaBibicasewhichstartedearlierhasnotbeendecidedasyet.Peopleseea
foreign,particularlywesternandIsraeli,conspiracybehindthequickdecisionandhanging.
Aspacewithlimits
WhatiscertainlynewisthestrangecautionamongthosevisitingtheQadrishrine.Thevoicescriticisingthegovernmentsperceived
unfairnessgetmuffledinthesoundoftheazaan.ThemannerinwhichthemobwasstoppedfromjoiningQadrisfamilyfortheburialisa
definitesignaltohisfatherandotherfamilymembersthattheyoughtnottocrosscertainlimits.ItisallrightforthetradersofLahoreto
weighQadrisfatheringoldortocontributetothebuildingoftheshrine,butitmustnotbeaspaceforpoliticalrebellion.
TheBarelvisareinamajorityinthecountrybutarenotequatedwithmilitancy.BarringafewsmallgroupsthatfoughtinKashmir,theyare
generallydedicatedtopreaching.Inthelastdecadeorso,theyseemtobegatheringsupportandusingtheissueofblasphemyinorderto
pushbacktheirideologicalopponentstheDeobandisandtheAhlHadithrepresentedbytheJaisheMohammad(JeM)andthe
LashkareTaiba/JamaatudDawa(LeT/JuD)respectively.Althoughblasphemyisadiceyissuetotackle,Barelviextremismhasnotwon
supportfromthegovernmentasinthecaseoftheDeobandiandAhleHadithmilitancy,which,overtheyears,tweakedtheirideologyto
accommodatethePakistanstatesmilitarystrategicobjectives.
Thusfar,thereisnoevidencethattheDeobandiandAhlHadithmilitancyhasloststatesupport.AccordingtoSartajAziz,theForeignAffairs
AdvisertoPrimeMinisterNawazSharif,thestatewilleventuallydealwiththeJeMandtheLeTaswell.ButtheJeMbasedinBahawalpur,in
Punjab,andtheLeTbasedinMuridke,outsideLahore,donotindicateanynervousnessregardingpossibledoom.TheJeMleadership
exhibitsneithernervousnessnorindicateshasteinremovingthearmedguardsarounditsmaincentre.TheLeT,ontheotherhand,hasa
moreexpansiveorganisationalstructure,andisthusquitesensitivetomanagingthepopularnarrative.Forinstance,aroundPathankot,the
organisationsmainspokespersonwentaroundconvincingjournalistsinIslamabadandLahoreoftheLeTsvulnerabilityandthatthe
governmentwastargetingitneedlesslywhenallthatitdidwaswelfare.ButthereislittlereasonforRawalpinditocleanuptheplainsof
PunjabandSindh,particularlyoftheJeMandtheLeT/JuD.ThemainworrywastheLashkareJhangvi,partsofwhichwereeliminatedand
therestallowedtomergeintoothermoreacceptablegroups,suchastheJeM,itwasideologicallyaffiliatedwith.Asignificantsegmentof
theLeJwasencouragedtodevelopitspoliticalwing,aformulaconsideredappropriateforthemainstreamingofDeobandimilitants.
However,thisformularemainsproblematicasmilitancyisnotnecessarilydrivenbylackofoccupationormainstreaming.
Thetwosides
AsQadrishangingissymbolicofthestatesresolvetodiscouragepeopletakingthelawintotheirownhands,thenewshrinedenotesasharp
disagreementofthecommonpeoplewiththestateanditsdecision.Thereisnothingmuchthatcanhappenintheformofderadicalisation,
especiallywhenthestatehasnoplantoencourageit.Furthermore,itisadifficultventureinahybridtheocracylikePakistans.Foryears,the
commonpeopleweretrainedtothinkofthemselvesasprotectingIslamandtheUmmah.Jihadandblasphemyareapartofthisformula,
whichisnotabouttochange.OnehearsstoriesaboutDaeeshliteraturebeingdiscoveredfromtheQuaidiAzamUniversityinvolvingboth
studentsandthefaculty.Howcanashifthappenwithouttearingdownsuchideologicalshrines?
Thesimplestpossiblemethodforthestateistodevelopzerotoleranceforviolenceandgraduallyensurethatjusticeisinstitutionalised.
Peopleshouldsharetheeuphoriaondecisionsbeyondtheelite.Ifasenseofdisproportionatejusticecontinues,theseveryideologicalshrines
couldemergeabiggerproblemforthestateandtheregion.
(AyeshaSiddiqa,authorofMilitaryInc:InsidePakistansMilitaryEconomy,isanIslamabadbasedcolumnist.)

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/newbeginningforpakistanaftershahbaztaseerrelease/article8349076.ece?css=print

2/2