Death wish

The expression of the desire to have political adversaries killed should be met with sheer contempt.


Saroop Ijaz June 19, 2011

The declaration that Babar Awan is wajibul qatl is the most idiotic statement ever made by the Punjab law minister, mind you in a very strong field. We are accustomed to being witnesses to the buffoonish one-upmanship between Rana Sanaullah and Babar Awan. However, the newest statement should not be considered merely as another cheap and low blow in the constant petty dialogical theatrics. I am not exceptionally fond of either Babar Awan or his pretentious preacher like demeanour, yet I find the statement by Rana Sanaullah infinitely disturbing and downright repulsive. Rana Sanullah has not expressly denied making the statement and only feebly attempted to provide an immediate context. The intentionality and the circumstances that lead to the making of the statement are insignificant in comparison to the vile appeal to theocratic fascism embedded in it. Rana Sanaullah has a reason for this audacity. He made unbelievably insensitive statements after the martyrdom of Salmaan Taseer, and was left unscathed by his and other parties, the media and, most unfortunately, by the public at large.

Some may suggest that this is a case of overreacting to a stupid statement made by a politician, in Pakistan they are expected to do so. Rana Sanaullah and Babar Awan can by all means continue their juvenile squabbles and inane play on words and make silly spectacles of themselves. I also agree that Rana Sanaullah has a complete democratic right to make foolish statements even bordering on the slanderous, short of provocation to murder. The exception is worth repeating, short of provocation to murder. He has, over the past three years, displayed an incredible tenacity in resisting any urge of self-improvement. It is hard to believe that Rana Sanaullah was ignorant of the murderous, lurid and hateful connotation of the word, especially given his public consorting with sectarian banned outfits. The word is bound to have come up in their conversations. In my opinion, the most fanatical of muftis on a bad day would have been wary of using the term for Babar Awan. Babar Awan is a lot of things, almost all of them being not flattering, but being liable to be murdered is certainly not one of them. It could be a Freudian slip of tongue, except it really couldn’t. The term wajibul qatl can only be used very deliberately in the circumstances that we live in. Alternately, it has been suggested that it was said somewhat in jest. The idea that the law minister of the largest province in the country has so sadistic and horrific a sense of humour does not come across as being particularly funny.

The context to the statement is important. According to this newspaper, in Faisalabad (which incidentally is Rana Sanaullah’s home constituency) recently there have been pamphlets with lists of Ahmadi citizens being circulated, inciting people to kill Ahmadis since they are wajibul qatl. The pamphlet reads: “To shoot such people is an act of jihad and to kill such people is an act of sawab.” This contemptible, seditious call to murder is being carried out with scary brazen confidence. A Pakistani filmmaker, Syed Noor, has recently made a movie titled Aik Aur Ghazi, and the movie is exactly what you deeply fear it is about. The wretched attempt is to glorify fanatical extra-judicial killing and extol the murderers. The release of the movie only months after the martyrdoms of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti is possibly demented incompetence but is probably philistine pandering to cheap populism, compensating for mediocre filmmaking ability. A conceited journalist, Mehr Bokhari conducted one of Salmaan Taseer’s last interviews in hysterical tones, almost portraying herself as a ‘ghaziess’, and in my opinion was obliquely complicit in Taseer’s murder. She moved on to newer and greener pastures immediately after Taseer’s killing and was advertised by the new (and I presume bigger) television channel as being ‘the most dangerous journalist in Pakistan’. The innuendo is sickening and shameful. The federal interior minister said he would himself shoot a blasphemer. There have been recent calls to ban the Bible in Pakistan, since it contains blasphemous material. The leaders of sectarian criminal organisations such as Sipah-e-Sahaba openly address anti-drone dharnas organised by political parties. There are innumerable other examples; however, the above are sufficient to establish a semblance of the context in which Rana Sanullah speaks.

Displays of affected and ostentatious religious piety by politicians are commonplace, but the assumption of the role of the grand mufti by Rana Sanaullah is another level completely. It is extremely unlikely that we will have someone moronic enough to act upon the edict passed by him, yet one cannot be too careful in a country where Mumtaz Qadri is proudly eulogised. In any event, it does not absolve him from making the craven pitiable effort to play upon the deepest prejudice of the society. Furthermore, the fact that a ‘law’ minister deems someone wajibul qatl is painfully ironic. My primary concern is not the hurt sensitivities of Babar Awan, but rather this dangerous trend of causally bringing violence into the public sphere. The expression of the desire to have political adversaries killed should be met with sheer contempt. Even if it was said subconsciously, it manifests a very sinister bent of mind.

There has been a curious reluctance to unequivocally condemn Rana Sanaullah, especially by the media. An example of an incredibly weak condemnation is along the lines that Rana Sanaullah should not have said it, since he is not a mufti. Hence containing the nauseous implication that there are still people empowered to determine who is fit to be killed, it is just that Rana Sanaullah is not one of them. This is pre-civilisation and barbaric. The perception is that it is just another episode in the ongoing dramatic duel between Rana Sanaullah and Babar Awan. It is much more than that; it is an ominous sign of the blood-sprinkled trajectory we are on. I would rather have them go back to their docile ignorant tomfoolery.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2011.

COMMENTS (9)

Saba | 12 years ago | Reply @Hamza Malik: Very true, my sentiments exactly. However, there is still hope (perhaps).
Badu jah | 12 years ago | Reply seriously, I wonder how this guy as brought up?
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