Pakistan Vying For Unity

Ishtiaq Ahmed

London: The latest attacks on the churches and homes of the Christian faith community in Jaranwala, in the district of Faisalabad, Punjab, form part of a long line of such incidents against the Christian faith community.

This latest incident on August 16, two days after the country celebrated its Independence Day, is further evidence of the culpability of religious zealots, all too prepared to take the law into their own hands without remorse or regret.

This is extremely regrettable and something that the country’s authorities have not been able to contain and prevent. As a consequence, the unabated violence is now tearing the country apart, and damaging its standing and reputation in international circles.

The root causes of the present sorry state of affairs are, in many respects, historic and multitude. Ever since its inception, Pakistan has been plagued by intercommunal violence compounded by directionless politics, economic disparities, doctrinal disputes, and the aspirations and frustrations of the majority Muslim population regarding the country’s religious credentials.

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At its inception, Pakistan was perceived as a safe haven where Muslims could freely live their faith and pursue their aspirations on their terms. The notion of Pakistan being an Islamic state came about by implication rather than by design.

The implication being that a country with a 90 percent Muslim majority will, by necessity, embrace and infuse Islamic values. However, despite a good percentage of the country’s majority Muslim population harbouring this aspiration, Pakistan remains somewhat stranded towards this objective, much to the frustration of the religious lobby.

However, religious identity in Pakistan often remains conflated with nationalism. As a result, hard-line religious groups equate minorities with foreign countries or treat them as outsiders. This, in fact, is at the root of the ill treatment of Pakistani non-Muslim faith minorities.

It is this belief that led the militant faction Junullah, after the attack on the All Saints Church in Peshawar, to claim, “They are the enemies of Islam, therefore we target them. We will continue our attacks on non-Muslims on Pakistani land.”

One of the frequent complaints of minority faith communities is that law enforcement agencies fail to respond in time to protect them against violence against their homes and places of worship. Even when they do turn up, they stand on bylines, watching violence unfold before them.

The law enforcement agencies would cite many reasons for their strategy and approach, but the fact remains that officials on the scene also harbour religious and nationalistic sentiments that they are not able to disassociate from their professional responsibilities. The tentacles of prejudice and hate are deeply perverse.

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This becomes even more true when the main mainstream political parties are often seen entering alliances with sectarian and hard-line groups in exchange for votes. Given this, it does not come as a major surprise for the political leadership to fuel popular sentiments instead of appealing for calm and restraint.

Following the burning of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called upon the public to mobilise in order to send a strong message to Sweden. Perhaps not understanding that once you take the leash off the beast, there may be no stopping it.

The role of the government is to play its due role and pursue its objectives in international arenas through the diplomatic channels available to it, not to incite public emotions. Unfortunately, public protests and violence have become the norm for settling the affairs of the country, even for the political leadership.

There are a whole host of reasons for the violence against faith minorities but one of the keys is that their affiliation and loyalty are disputed. The mob violence against the Pakistani Christians in Jaranwala, among other things, cannot be divorced from the aroused sentiments following the burning of the Holy Quran in Stockholm by an Iraqi Christian.

The author is a British citizen of Pakistani origin with a keen interest in Pakistani and international affairs.

The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.