Mumtaz Qadri committed the murder of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer in broad day light while in full control of his senses. His deed was witnessed by many and he never denied the gruesome act that put a life to an end without any opportunity of defence. His conviction by the courts, from the trial court to the supreme court of Pakistan, should have been a foregone conclusion. Yet when the supreme court upheld his conviction on charges of terrorism and murder a few months ago there was a widespread feeling of gratitude. What if the courts had accepted the defence put up for the assassin that each of us has the right to take life in cold blood and seek sanction later from a sufficient number of religious ‘scholars’? In rejecting Qadri’s defence the courts preserved sanity.
Qadri’s execution yesterday after rejection of his mercy petition reflects the government’s resolve to stand up to violence and to threats of violence that have so often held the country hostage in recent years. The government has done the right thing and for that we remain grateful.
The aftermath of Qadri’s execution will pose questions. While political leaders will seek refuge in avoidance the questions will catch up and will have to be answered. If the Jamaat e Islami goes ahead with its country wide protests, starting from Peshawar, PTI’s Imran Khan will have to decide if his party stands with a political ally or with the rule of law at the risk of rupturing the coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? The self-styled ‘Professor’ Sajid Mir, leader of the Ahl e Hadith (read Saudi-backed wahabis), who is regularly elected to the Senate with PML(N) votes has promised his own brand of commotion. The brave new PML(N) will surely now consider the baggage it wishes to shed.
It should come as no surprise if the divide over Qadri’s execution reflects the divide over the entire range of issues from the minimum age for marriage for girls to Punjab’s Protection of Women Act that became law yesterday. JUI(F)’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman, opportunistic ally of all in power in Islamabad, has led the rhetorical charge against the recognition of women as human beings who deserve life chances outside the kitchen and dignity inside the home. It is surely time the Maulana was put in his grim place. PML(N) today deserves worthier allies than a handful of blackmailing regressive members of parliament wearing the Maulana’s colours. This is where the PPPP and ANP must stand up and be counted, yet again. These are parties with a largely progressive legacy that have been targeted by the very forces that today threaten Pakistan as a land capable of peaceful dialogue and basic decency for men as well as women, for Muslims of all denominations as well as those of other faiths.
When prime minister Nawaz Sharif reached out to embrace the Hindu population of the country last diwali in a speech that touched the finest fibres of our national fabric he echoed the inclusive creed that Shaheed Salmaan Taseer had lived by. The prime minister and his party’s governments in the centre and Punjab have since then not looked back. The Lashkar e Jhangvi has felt the heat. Sharmeen Chinoy experienced unprecedented prime ministerial adulation for exposing the ugliness in our midst that so many would keep under wraps. Reform of legislation on honour killing is an active agenda item with the PML(N) government. With Qadri’s execution having drawn a line, all forces that seek a progressive Pakistan must now stand together in facing off the bleak designs of the sundry jamaats and jamiats. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/01-Mar-2016/aftermath-of-justice
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