A surfeit of anger

Yet again an alleged blasphemy lay at heart of disturbances in Jhelum which were stoked, incited, by local clerics

There are weeks when my adopted home makes me seethe with undischarged rage. That rage which I internalise would probably power a small town if a way could be found to tap it. This has been one of those weeks.

Fuelling the nuclear pile in the last week has been the attack on and destruction of most of a factory in Jhelum that was owned by an Ahmadi family. The buildings on-site were reported to be 70 per cent destroyed. An Ahmadi place of worship was occupied and vandalised. Houses in the nearby Ahmadi community were quickly vacated as their occupants fled. The civil power had lost control and the army was called in to restore order. Yet again an alleged blasphemy lay at the heart of the disturbances which were stoked, indeed incited, by local clerics.

In an unusually swift move the local administration arrested as many as 35 people on the following day though significantly none of the clerics that triggered the incident in the first place. Whether any of those arrested ever get to trial is a moot point, but it has to be said that it is unlikely.

And why so angry Mr Cork? Because in over 20 years of living and working and observing life in Pakistan I have never ever seen anybody successfully prosecuted for an attack on a minority group no matter what their adherence. There is a fundamental hypocrisy at the very heart of the state that is perpetuated by successive governments no matter what their flavour. One conclusion that may be reached is that a long-term goal of the state is the eventual cleansing of the country of all but the dominant sect. There… it is said. No government is ever going to be upfront about that, but as an extremist mindset continues to seep into the national bedrock and pollute the water table it is a conclusion that is at least tenable.

Secondly this week it is a hypocrisy wrapped up in what is a potentially good news story. Pakistan has lagged behind when it comes to availing the advantages of the global ecommerce boom. Specifically Paypal, Amazon and Ebay have been unable to operate here, principally because appropriate safeguards regarding security were not in place. That is going to change according to a statement by Anusha Rehman, Minister of State for IT and Telecom. Pakistan has now completed the necessary regulatory arrangements which are a prerequisite to global technology companies getting access and trading here. It is now on the White List of the Financial Action Task Force — and let trading commence. Not just yet, but soon. Probably soon. In the future. Well one and a half cheers for Ms Rehman, who in comprehension of matters IT has been likened to being as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Why so churlish Mr Cork? YouTube is the answer to that one. Ah… and the hypocrisy here is? Anybody who cares to dig around on the Amazon site will find any amount of sectarian publications and assorted hate material, and you would be amazed just what you can buy for yourself on Ebay that would bring palpitations to all but the most hardened liberal (… ’hardened liberal’… food for thought) in Pakistan and provoke considerable civil unrest if delivered into the hands of those that deal in religious crack.

To open the door to the giants of ecommerce is a Pandora’s box. There will be undoubted benefits to the economy and an expanding middle class will have two more places to spend their disposable income, all good news. Yet to allow ecommerce to thrive within a regulatory framework and to continue to block YouTube is both paradox and hypocrisy. Presumably the sacerdotal caste is prepared to turn one of its multiple blind eyes to whatever temptations may lie ahead, and it must be assumed that there has been back-channel discussion with them before any announcement was made. The quid-pro-quo is conceivably leaving the YouTube ban in place, thus satisfying — and appeasing — those that have the state firmly by the throat and are busy with the process of cleansing referred to in the opening paragraphs.

Perhaps we should pool our collective angers and solve the national power crisis at a stroke. Toodle-pip!

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th,  2015.

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