Hostage to guns and militias
February 20, 2022
The rise and fall of CPLC
March 13, 2022
Narrative One. (What we preach)
a. That the Peshawar mosque blast was a huge tragedy,
b. that we are deeply saddened,
c. that may God give ‘Sabr” to the families,
d. that a Muslim cannot kill another Muslim,
e. that the PM has taken notice and ordered an inquiry,
f. that we will deal with the culprits with iron hands,
g. that justice will be done,
h. that the families of those who died will be given X amount and those injured will be given Y amount as compensation,
i. that , ……..
Narrative 2. (What we actually do)
a. A few months back, when the TLP killed seven policemen, destroyed government property and blocked the GT road for days, the organization was rewarded with changing its status from ‘proscribed’ to a main stream political party.
b. The government did not jail a single individual for the murder of the seven policemen. It did not confiscate nor held any one accountable for the scores of prohibited bore weapons used in the killing of policemen on duty.
c. Not a single item of the National Action Plan, made with much fanfare, after the tragic killing of school children in Peshawar, was put into practice. On the contrary, the TTP was engaged in talks that could lead to its main streaming.
d. The Interior Ministry has constantly issued and continues to issue licenses of prohibited bore weapons.
e. No attempt is made to disarm and disband the 500 or so private armies that freely operate in Pakistan in violation of Article 256 of the Constitution.
f. The approach to militancy and terrorism is reactive. Wait for an event to happen – go through the check list of Narrative 1, then sleep again and wait for the next event.
Narrative 3. (What we should do)
a. Stop patronising religious extremist and militant groups of all shades. They must be disarmed and disbanded.
b. Ban possession of all weapons, legal or illegal. Stop issuing fresh licenses and cancel all existing weapon licenses. Confiscate all illegal weapons and announce and implement a nation-wide scheme for return and buy-back of all licensed weapons.
c. Proactively go after all militant and extremist groups and their patrons / financiers.
d. Disrupt and dismantle all sources / individuals responsible for publication and spread of hate literature and hate speech.
e. The Friday sermon should be state controlled,(as in many other Islamic countries), and focus on national issues such as peace, brotherhood, family planning, child marriages and respect for women, minorities, other sects and other religions.
f. Re-organise, modernize and digitize the Interior ministry so that it can collect nation-wide data on militancy, weapons, hate literature, and numerous other related informations.
g. Have a special body to implement all the 20 points of the forgotten National Action Plan.
If you agree with the above, please write to the PM, Interior Minister and other concerned government officials.