LAHORE:
According to a saying of Hazrat Ali (RA), the fourth caliph of Islam, a “society can survive with kufr (infidelity), but not (with) injustice”. As Muslims, we have full faith in the saying. Let us also ponder over what a nation state actually is and why justice is so central to it.
Unfortunately, a lack of understanding and the thirst for power have mutilated the very idea of religion in Pakistan. The idea of religion as a political tool was implemented by General Zia ul Haq on a massive scale through his concept of Islamisation. As a result, people were brainwashed in hating and murdering each other. While it is the sole jurisdiction of God to decide who goes to Heaven or Hell, there are a few who dare defy this divine jurisdiction. It is not surprising that even in the holy month of Ramadan, terrorists are indulging in mayhem. The recent terrorist attack in a Quetta hotel is indicative of the fact that, for these extremists, power trumps faith. In the process the state remains absent, choosing not to exercise its writ to protect the constitutional rights of citizens.
One only hopes that the ghost of Justice Munir does not haunt the corridors of our judiciary. Justice Munir must have been subjected to tremendous pressure and threats by the likes of Ayub Khan and Iskandar Mirza, but he was required to withstand these and deliver his judgment based on laws and not the Doctrine of Necessity. Munir stands condemned in history and so are those who were instrumental in reducing the Quaid’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state into the mess that we are witnessing today. Pakistan has suffered enough and we must ensure that justice is delivered and Jinnah’s vision implemented.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2021.
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