If the militant mulla is sincere in the enforcement
of Islam he can do some constructive work in this regard. Ask any religious
party does it possess a model of an Islamic state that it wishes to introduce
in the country. Its answer will be in the negative or at best a generalized
one. Not a single religious party has worked out the parameters and contours of
a detailed Islamic system that it wishes to enforce. What they are suppose to
do is to draw up their respective detailed models of Islamic system in the
light of the teachings of the holy Quran and Sunna and submit them to the
Parliament where perhaps these will be assigned to select committees of the
experts of Islamic Jurisprudence to hammer out a model with majority consensus
to become the constitution of Pakistan. But they will never do that. They have
no competence for such exercise They can only make use of the name of Islam to hoodwink
the vast illiterate majority in pursuit o their hegemonic designs. That is
neither fair to people of Pakistan nor to the religion of Islam.
The conclusion
identifies three main causes that account for acts of religious terrorism in
Pakistan. First is the historical
prejudice of majority of religious leaders and their parties against the demand
for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. Despite their
bitter opposition, however, the Pakistan Movement succeeded and Pakistan came
into existence. Since it emerged against their will therefore instinctively
they disown it. Whenever it faces adverse circumstance they openly say “didn’t
we warn you? We were not with you. Now face the music.” For them patriotic love
for Pakistan is a far cry, they do not have even simple emotional affinity with
it. With this prejudice ingrained in their hearts they have readily embraced
the cult of extremism that came into Pakistan along with Talban via Afghanistan.
Second cause
is the ambition of religious leadership to get hold of the reins of power of
the country just as Taliban did in Afghanistan and ruled over it for a
considerable period. The religious parties, they belong to, are less religious
and more political. In their quest for power they have successfully covered
sonic mileage. The series of acts of terrorism they committed in the past have
pitched them against the civil society whose protection is the responsibility
of Pakistan’s armed forces, The tw forces are now inevitably pitched against
each other with the result that prospects of a civil war are gradually
unfolding. To pre-empt that doomsday what is advisable is to annihilate the
terrorists before they become an uncontrollable menace. They are diehard and
brain-washed people who have become extremists, unreasonable and irrational
fanatics for whom negotiations mean nothing. They use the language of force and
understand the language of force, to them restraint and appeasement are signs
of weakness. If the state does not destroy them they will destroy the state.
However, the strategy to deal with them should be worked out pragmatically.
Economic development of their areas and dissemination of right kind of
progressive education for the masses should be taken up on priority basis. The
military might. kept in reserve, should be used unsparingly as when needed.
Third
cause is the psychological make up of a religious fanatic like ‘Kharjis’ who
would not hesitate to kill any one who disagreed with their interpretation of
Islam and Juhayman’s militants who would just blame House of Saud of corruption
to forcibly occupy Kaaba. The nature of Pakistan’s religious terrorism is
likewise an extremist’s emotional response. It should be handled the way the
Kharjis and the men of Juhayman were dealt with.
All three causes pointed out above are clearly
betrayed by the Lal Masjid episode. The use of the fair name of Islam by the
religious leaders for ulterior motives is regrettable. If they sincerely wish
enforcement Islam in the country then they should draw up their respective
models of an Islamic state for presentation to the Parliament which would refer
them to the experts on Islamic Jurisprudence to hammer out a consensus draft
for adoption by the Parliament. But they will never do that because. in the
first place, they are incapable of such scholarly work and secondly this kind
of project can only be taken tip by a people who have intense love and affection
for Pakistan.