Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD
If by terrorists, we mean those who killed Governor Salmaan Taseer including those who rejoiced and celebrated the politically motivated murder, then terrorists and terrorism is winning in Pakistan. By all counts.
If ‘war on terror’ is a euphemism for ensuring material, political and financial security of the Western countries then the West is certainly winning the war and the so called Muslim countries are at the receiving end. However, if ‘war on terror’ means eliminating the menace of terrorism and convincing human kind that terrorism as a weapon is abhor-able and should be given up, then I am afraid to report that the West is losing the war, at least in Pakistan.
To grasp my thesis the reader would need some background knowledge about two things. Firstly, some details of the murder of Salmaan Taseer and secondly, present political situation in Pakistan, where national election is due on May 11 and the leading political parties are Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-N and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan.
So, let me explain both before pursuing my thesis.
Governor Salmaan Taseer (Urdu, Punjabi: سلمان تاثیر; May 31, 1944[1][2][5] – January 4, 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician who served as the 26th governor of the province of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in early 2011.
He was appointed to the post of governor on 15 May 2008, in place of outgoing governor Lt Gen (R) Khalid Maqbool,[7] by then-President Musharraf at the request of the PPP establishment.
On 4 January 2011, Taseer was assassinated in Islamabad by his own security guard Mumtaz Qadri, who disagreed with Taseer’s opposition to Pakistan’s blasphemy law.[8]
Qadri, shot him 27 times with an MP5 sub-machine gun at Kohsar Market,[27] near his home[28] in Sector F6, Islamabad, as he was returning to his car after meeting a friend for lunch. Eight hours before his assassination, he tweeted an Urdu couplet by Shakeel Badayuni: “My resolve is so strong that I do not fear the flames from without, I fear only the radiance of the flowers, that it might burn my garden down.”[30]
The next day, hundreds of people turned up for governor Salman Taseer’s funeral in Lahore in spite of denunciation by some (in fact the majority of) clerics and religious scholars (from all sects and groups) from mourning Taseer.[31][32] Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and many supporters of the ruling PPP were seen attending the funeral prayer. The funeral prayers were finally led by Allama Afzal Chisti of the Ulema wing of the PPP after the chief cleric of the Badshahi Mosque, who had initially agreed to offer prayers, backed off at the last moment, saying he was going out of town.[33]
The assassin Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri is from Punjab, and was part of the security detail provided to Taseer by the Elite Police. After the shooting, Qadri threw his weapon down and put his hands up when one of his colleagues aimed at him. He reportedly pleaded to be arrested.[35] Qadri reportedly said he killed Taseer due to the latter’s vocal opposition to the blasphemy law in Pakistan.[36][37] Taseer was against the blasphemy law and termed it a black law. Notably, Taseer made headlines when he favored the Christian Pakistani woman, Asia Bibi,[24] who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy.[38] It was suspected that this was the main reason for his assassination.[39][40]
After the murder, more than five-hundred clerics voiced support for the crime and urged a general boycott of Taseer’s funeral.[42] Supporters of Mumtaz Qadri blocked police attempting to bring him to the Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi, and some supporters even showered him with rose petals.[43]
Fast forward two years to 2013 and meet a famous cricketer from Pakistan, Imran Khan, who is a graduate of Oxford University. In April 1996, Khan established the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), meaning “Movement for Justice,” political party[9] and became its chairman. He represented Mianwali as a member of the National Assembly from November 2002 to October 2007.[10][11] In December 2012, GlobalPost ranked him third in a list of the top nine world leaders and recognized Khan as the face of the anti-drone movement in Pakistan.[12]
Some political pundits are very optimistic about the fate of PTI in upcoming elections on May 11, 2013.
Even though Imran Khan’s party apparently stands for justice for all, and on more than one occasion he has expressed his opinion that he will stand up for every weak in Pakistan and more specifically for the persecuted minority sect, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. But, he did the exact opposite, two days back, when his party issued a Press Release, where in, it seems, under the threats from the Mullahs and terrorists behind Salmaan Taseer’s murder, he has completely caved in.
Whereas, he is on record for accepting the persecutory nature of articles, against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in the Pakistan constitution. In a recent statement he denied any such support, to appease the Mullahs and did not stop there, but, went a step further to call the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community a liar by implication.
The terrorists have certainly terrorized the ‘brave heart,’ Imran Khan, ‘the rising star’ of Pakistan.
There is a famous Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace be on him:
When you see an evil act you have to stop it with your hand, with wisdom. If you can’t, then at least speak out against it with your tongue. If you can’t, then at least you have to hate it with all your heart. And this is the weakest of faith. (Book of Muslim)
Imran Khan has not had the decency to, at least, stay quiet about the Government sponsored persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. According to the Hadith above, he has failed to demonstrate the minimum standard of integrity or ‘belief in the truth.’
If we judge by Imran Khan’s political moves, terrorists are certainly winning in Pakistan.
There is another very well known Hadith:
Narrated by Ḥaḍrat Ṭāriq bin Shihāb, Allāh be pleased with him: While the Prophet of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be on him) was setting forth on a journey and putting his foot in the stirrup, a person enquired of him which form of jihād was the best, he said, “The word of truth to the wrongdoing ruler.” (Nasā’ī)
May be other just souls will be able to stand tall against the wrongdoing Mullahs and succeed, where Imran Khan has failed.
Categories: Pakistan
The PPP chief would not be present in Pakistan for the May 11 polling day due to serious security threats to his life, party sources said.
KARACHI: The Chief of the Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto would not be present in Pakistan on Election Day. He has already left the country and would not be addressing any party rallies or meetings due to security threats to his life, his party sources told Dawn.com on Friday.Central party leader Taj Haider also confirmed that consensus had been reached in the party and that, in the wake of serious threats to Bilawal’s life, the party has advised him not to lead the election campaign in person.“We have already lost Benazir Bhutto and will not risk losing Bilawal. The threats to his life are very real,” he said.Haider would not say where the party chief was at the moment. However, sources in the party said that he had left Pakistan earlier this week and would not be returning to the country before May 11, the Election Day.
http://dawn.com/2013/05/03/bilawal-not-to-return-to-pakistan-for-elections/
The letters, received in different ANP offices, warn the party workers to shut down the offices and stop supporting the party.
PESHAWAR: The election offices opened by different candidates of Awami National Party (ANP) in Peshawar have received letters from militants containing threats of dire consequences for supporting the secular party.Scores of the party workers and leaders have been killed by the Taliban militants for having secular views in the run up to the historic May 11 polls. Bashir Bilour, a party stalwart and a senior politician, was assassinated in a militant attack in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital in December last year.Several other ANP leaders including Bashir Jan, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and Haroon Bilour have narrowly escaped the series of deadly militant attacks in the recent past.More than 70 people have been killed in attacks targeting electioneering of certain political parties across the country since April 11.The outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had vowed to attack the three secular political parties of the country. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are the other two parties.
http://dawn.com/2013/05/03/militants-threaten-anp-activists-to-shut-poll-offices-in-peshawar/
I like how J. K. Rowling portrayed in Harry Potter that when the primary antagonist finally overthrows the Minister and takes charge of the ministry he does not publicly declare his victory but rather continues ruling from the background using his influence to ensure his rule. Similar is the situation now with Taliban who have a great influence but they use others to act as puppets in their rule.
Thanks to Imran Khan for giving his honest stand on the “articles” in the constitution regarding Ahmadis.
introduced by ZAB and consolidated by a military dictator, Zia ul Haq and implemented by PPP and NS during their tenures.
That puts IK in the ranks of the usual politicians of Pakistan. No “change” there.
MAV
Sweden
I do not understand why some members of a spiritual community think that some human being politician like Imran Khan will be of help to the community. When community itself claims that only God or Allah will Help the community in its success to win the peace in this world.
Only a weak member with poor faith in God Almighty can think of Imran Khan to help them in Pakistan. Who will help them in Indonesia, in Bangla Desh and other Muslim countries. Real Ahmadies are not worried from any politician but they have been saying..again and again….It is will of God and power of God we depend upon… and not on Individuals who have no real faith in Power of God.
Allah promised to help His messenger and He will do in His own ways innsha Allah.We have to be sencere in our prayers and be sure in our believes and put our trust in Him.Try to see back through our history how Allah always help the Ahmadies.These politician cannot help in any ways.