Death squads

The clashes between Christians and Muslims in Faisalabad, after two Christian brothers – one of them a pastor – were killed outside the district courts, demonstrates a continued descent into a state of sectarian anarchy. The Christians had been accused of distributing pamphlets with blasphemous content earlier this month. Members of the community maintain the charges were baseless. This seems likely given that members of minority communities are unlikely to place themselves in so much peril. Even when they do not do so they perish, as happened in the latest case. The accused men were shot before they had an opportunity to defend themselves in court or for the court to deliver its verdict. This has happened before. There is every reason to believe it will happen again.

The environment of hatred that has been created in the country ensures these deaths will not be the last. The killings will not end until hatred is wiped away, in an inevitably slow process that should begin with an undoing of the blasphemy laws, particularly the portions that make them most likely to be abused. What is terrifying is that, as has happened in the past, mosques in the area were used to incite violence. The blasphemy charges were first made over loudspeakers installed at these buildings and after the tragic shootings, rumours were spread that the homes of Muslims had been attacked by Christians, triggering clashes. It is true police acted to protect the Christians – as indeed it is their duty to do – but this is not enough. We need to ensure those who misused mosques public address systems or used other means to whip up communal feeling are punished. But most of all, we need to rescue our country from the age of madness into which it has descended and restore the harmony between diverse groups of citizens necessary for the welfare of any nation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2010.