| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| On state terrorism |
| 2014-06-20 |
| [DAWN] IT is among the many wonders of this land of the pure that charlatans renowned for their closeness to state institutions can spout rhetoric about the use of 'state terrorism ... any action taken by a non-Moslem state that constrains the violent impulses of Moslems or their allies ... ' against innocents. So it was earlier this week when Tahirul Qadri ...Pak politician, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him... — and his various spokesmen — reacted to the government's use of force against his supporters. Qadri is not wrong in noting that such incidents can trigger a chain of events that shake up the entire political order; it is another matter that what he suggested was the start of his long-prophesied 'revolution' seems much more like a shift in the wrong direction for Pak democracy. This is not to suggest that the Sharif brothers are proving to be adept defenders of our extremely weak democratic foundations. To the contrary, they are giving their detractors, and, more crucially, the establishment and its lackeys, every opportunity to not just snap at their heels, but potentially cut them off entirely. The use of such excessive force in an upscale neighbourhood of Lahore defies logic. Indeed, one cannot help but wonder whether or not the whole incident was engineered precisely so that the already under pressure government is pushed further into a corner. |
| Posted by:Fred |