Dies Irae

Days of Rage — Dies Irae — are upon Pakistan. Rage is manifest in a number of ways ranging from civil society protests outside the Lal Masjid in Islamabad to the decision by the government to hang perhaps as many as 500 men convicted and sentenced to death by the Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATC). They are likely to be hung in batches over the next two to three weeks according to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who was speaking to the media on December 22. Only those whose appeals have been exhausted and have had their mercy petitions rejected will be hung. The government may not have it all its own way in this matter, as on December 23, the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench decided to suspend the hanging of five prisoners on the grounds of an appeal by their relatives that the prisoners had not yet themselves formally issued an appeal against their sentences. The government has been quick to respond, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered the office of the Attorney General to proactively pursue all cases where courts have intervened with stay orders.

Moving from a position of a blanket moratorium on the death penalty to its selective use on a specific category of convicted persons is proving to be freighted with troubles for the government. While this measure may have some effectiveness in the short-term, what we really need today is a long-term approach to the challenge we face. Fundamental issues that sit at the heart of the creation of the mindset that produces an extremist culture remain unaddressed. Long-proposed madrassa reforms must be pursued now — and not put on the backburner again. Register the unregistered madrassas and shut them down if they are non-compliant. Take jihad and sectarian themes out of the national curriculum. Do it now. Prosecute those uttering hate speech, be they guests on TV channels or the leaders of Friday prayers. Tear down the inflammatory posters and banners, whitewash the disgusting wall-chalking. Let the Dies Irae be focused on real change, and not just on short-term measures that the interior minister has talked about in his press conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2014.

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