What a bloody mess

The Islamic Republic, Land of the Pure, sunk to new lows from December 29 to January 4. The worst of the lows, which fits in with the second worst, was the murder of the Punjab governor, his murderer proudly admitting that it was the blasphemy law that had spurred him on.

Amidst a gutless government, Salmaan Taseer at least had the courage of his convictions and publicly and officially said what many have been writing and saying about the iniquitous Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which is an open invitation to the bloody minded to indulge in revenge or personal gain at the cost of an innocent. Has blasphemy once been proven against any accused? And how stands the death toll because of either its use or its condemnation?

Now, the spokespeople of this gutless government — one that let Taseer down with a bang by unzipping itself in front of the maniacal mullah fraternity and declaring that it will not touch any part of Section 295 of the PPC  — have the gall to praise him for his bravery and his courage. The shameless, once again, cannot be shamed — not in this split divisive nation where the vociferous majority has the broad edge. As this publication rightly editorialised on Wednesday, “the blood of Salmaan Taseer is on all our hands. And this is because when… some people hinted that Mr Taseer was, in effect, wajibul qatl, we did nothing to stand up and support him.”

The second worst happening of this past disgusting period of time was the support given by the entire nation to the strike call by the united few so-called representative political parties of the land imbued with religiosity, hanging on to the false religion practiced and propagated by military dictator (maker of Mian Nawaz Sharif) Ziaul Haq. December 31 was indeed an auspicious ending to last year. The protest against any amendment to 295-C was complete and, as said the media, successful. OK, it may well have been that the business and trade people succumbed out of sheer fear, but where were the protests of others against that disgusting display of obscurantism? Who in our famous ‘civil society’, or from amongst the upholders of human rights, raised any objections? If they did, they certainly went unheard.

These ‘holy’ men have exceeded all records and that too under the rule of a party which prides itself on its secular tendencies. The MQM can close Karachi within 10 minutes, but this lot managed to shut down an entire country. Bravo! Have we finally reached the end of the road to rock bottom? What should be asked of the religious and now powerful fraternity, who also showed their clout over the matter of Taseer’s funeral prayers, is: Would they please quote a chapter and verse from the Quran which will uphold and confirm the punitive conditions laid down by Zia-made Section 295-C of the PPC?

Disgust (minor) started on December 29 when our beloved representatives hurled invectives at each other — but, at least, it was tinged with some humour. The heads of the PML-N leadership was one subject. Well, as for Chaudhry Nisar, it was spot on. For as long as we have known him, his mock-Beatle hairstyle has remained unchanged in size, length or colour — as with our numerous dyers and transplanters, graceful graying or balding is out.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2011.