The fact that some lawyers, threw flower petals at Mumtaz Qadri does not mean that the whole nation thinks that way.
LONDON: This is with reference to Amina Jilani’s article of February 19 titled “Bankruptcy of the moral kind”. I would disagree with the tone and thrust of the article, in that it employs several sweeping generalisations. For instance, the fact that some lawyers, who may be nutjobs in their own right, threw flower petals at Mumtaz Qadri does not mean that the whole nation thinks that way — and it certainly doesn’t make him a hero for everyone. In any case, America has its lunatics on the far right and England has the British National Party. India has Bal Thackeray and the leadership of the RSS and they hold similar extreme views, especially with regard to Muslims and other minorities in India. The point I am trying to make is that every country has such people and to single out Pakistan is a bit unfair.
The other point that the writer seems to be missing is that many Pakistanis have protested against the drones but to no avail. In the case of Raymond Davis, they can try and prevent the government from sending him back to America, especially since he has killed two Pakistanis.
As far as India is concerned, I am not a follower of the mullahs but even I can see that ties with India will be strained as long as there is Kashmir and as long as India keeps building dams on rivers whose water flows into Pakistan. As for people not following the law in Pakistan but doing exactly that when in the West, the answer lies in its enforcement. Many westerners would break the law if they could get away with it, but since it is strictly enforced everyone follows it. In any case, incidents of looting have happened in countries as rich as America and France when there has been a general breakdown of law and order, following, for instance, natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
Also, the writer should be reminded that, currently, the son of the prime minister has been asked by the Supreme Court to explain how he bought an expensive vehicle. This shows that our judiciary is independent — a crucial first step in eliminating corruption.
Adeel Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2011.
