Pakistan: The voices of reason must not be silenced by fear

The news that Salman Taseer, the powerful governor of Pakistan’s most populous province, had been gunned down by his own security guard for standing up against the country’s draconian blasphemy laws, came as a bleak reminder of political fissures that divide the country.

The sickening scenes of Taseer’s murderer, Mumtaz Qadri, being showered by rose petals as he entered court to lodge his guilty plea were starkly juxtaposed with images of candlelit vigils at the spot where he was shot 27 times in the back.  These contrasting responses to Taseer’s assassination are illustrative of a fundamental spilt between those who want to see Pakistan fulfil her potential as a thriving, liberal and tolerant democracy and those that want to terrorise and isolate Pakistani citizens under a misguided and perverted interpretation of Islam.

While denouncement of last week’s criminal act was muted amongst Pakistan’s clerics and politicians – including those from the Pakistan Peoples Party, to which Taseer belonged – British citizens of Pakistani descent have been vocal in our condemnation and our mantra is clear – this death due to terrorism, as with the 25,000 others in Pakistan in recent years, is not in our name. It is not in the name of Islam and it is not in the name of Pakistan.  And while saddened by this loss, the real tragedy of Salman Taseer’s murder would be if it stopped other progressive, liberal people in Pakistan speaking up for fear of violent repercussions.

Qadri, though responsible for his own deplorable actions, was spurred on by inflammatory rhetoric from extremists preaching hatred and inciting violence against all those who stand up for the pluralist founding ideals of Pakistan. It is not only in Pakistan where irresponsible political language has repercussions beyond the boundaries of discourse and spill over into violence, but in Pakistan there is a danger that the voices of reason will be drowned out by the increasing clamour of hate, or silenced in fear.

Moderation and liberalism in Pakistan must not be allowed to die with Governor Taseer. Right-minded politicians and religious leaders must speak up, knowing that the UK as well as Muslims and non-Muslims around the world, are behind them.  Addressing a distinguished audience at the memorial meeting for Taseer at the Pakistani High Commission in London this week, MPs from all major British political parties spoke in solidarity with Pakistan and I was encouraged by the various Pakistani leaders who attacked those who corrupt Islam’s peaceful message and sought to assure Christians and other minority groups that they will be defended and protected.

If a society is ultimately judged by how it treats its most vulnerable and marginalised, then Pakistan is at a crossroads. Those, like Salman Taseer, who believe in a modern, peaceful Pakistan, governed by the rule of law, under which all people are equal and all faiths are free to worship, need to speak out in defence of it and in condemnation of the alternative.

After being struck by a natural disaster that swept away the lives, crops and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in Pakistan last year, there is the potential that Pakistan could slip into a political disaster of its own making. Salman Taseer paid the ultimate price in trying to ensure this didn’t happen, but let that not be in vain.

Rt Hon Sadiq Khan MP

Shadow Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for justice

Picture: Getty Images

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• Trofim

  Actually, I’m the final prophet. I heard a voice tell me when I was in the bog this morning. I turns round and blow me down, there’s this sort of shining bloke there with wings. The wife saw him too, so that’s an extra 0.5 of an opinion to back me up. He told me I’ve got to eat bacon every day, for starters.

• http://twitter.com/Forro123 Ray S

  It really is hard to see a way out of the cycle of terror, violence and persecution in Pakistan; reforming that country seems almost beyond the means of man. To those trying on the old liberal line of blaming the West for the rise and rise of extremism in Pakistan; nice try, but General Zia and many others like him were responsible for a historical process of constant re-Islamification that has been going on for a long time and has now reached frightening levels of intensity.

  Just spare a moment to think of the plight of the small Hindu and Christian minorities in Pakistan right now; every day they endure persecution and terror and the despicable blasphemy law is one of the main tools used to terrorise them.

• JohnJustice

  Well said, Sadiq, but perhaps you could provide more information about how and how many British Muslims are speaking out on this atrocity and the related incarceration of Bibi Asia. As far as i can make out it’s just a few when they should be out on the streets in the sort of numbers seemingly reserved for anti-west demonstrations.

• Thomas

  Mr Khan is living in a fantasy world if he thinks Pakistan is going to prosper with American puppets and convicted criminals in power. America’s aim is to destabilise Pakistan through terrorist drone attacks and terrorism on the streets.

  Today America is creating chaos and confusion in Pakistan to continue its war in the Tribal region. Everyone knows that this type of senseless bomb blasts only serve American interests. Prior to this we have already witnessed the carnage in Islamic University Islamabad – the sole purpose was to provoke anger in the masses and build public opinion in favour for the American war.

  Recently, in his policy speech, Obama himself exposed his nefarious plans to the world when he explained to his people how he was able to mould Pakistan’s public opinion in favour of American war: “In the past, there have been those in Pakistan who have argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight… But in recent years, as innocents have been killed from Karachi to Islamabad… Public opinion has turned”.

• JohnJustice

  Right, so supporting the struggle against extremism which claims the lives of innocents from Karachi to Islamabad is a “nefarious Obama plan” is it? If that’s the case more power to his elbow, I say.

• CountVisceral

  the british muslim council has no respnobility to speak about foreign events in pakistan

• Thomas

  The US couldn’t care less about lives of innocents from Karachi to Islamabad.