If you play with fire, it may burn your house one day. The Pakistani military-security establishment or deep state has long played with fire – by harboring and supporting an entire pantheon of terror groups both for its regional policy and domestic purposes. The long-term impact of this policy is now being witnessed across the country.
Recent threat by one of these Islamist extremist militant groups, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) against the Chief Justice of Pakistan shocked many people but for those who have long warned against TLP this was not shocking. The issue is, will the Pakistani state really crack down on TLP or will it do what it has always done- temporarily crack down and then let TLP off the hook.
The TLP’s threat stems from the recent Supreme Court judgement in the Mubarak Sani case where the apex court “declared that the right to profess religion and religious freedom, as ensured by the Constitution, is subject to law, morality and public order.” This led TLP’s leaders to openly call for the killing of the Chief Justice.
As an editorial in Dawn notes “for decades, the state has pursued suicidal policies where extremist groups are concerned. Those at the helm have either looked away as jihadi, sectarian and extremist groups have proliferated, or in some cases have actively encouraged such violent outfits. Arguably, in no other Muslim country are vigilantes and extremists allowed such freedom to operate. But in Pakistan, these outfits can effectively blackmail the state, and issue death warrants against the highest officials of the land. The state either meekly asks them to desist, or takes belated action after these groups cross ‘red lines’.”
The editorial also called upon “the ulema to restore sanity. Though the Council of Islamic Ideology has condemned the death threats, established scholars, particularly those belonging to the Barelvi school, need to denounce such violent vigilantism. There is religious and legal consensus about the finality of prophethood. Therefore, semi-literate clerics cannot be allowed to exploit this sensitive issue and create further anarchy in society.”
The Dawn editorial warned, “Unless those who actually control the levers of state act with alacrity, the forces of darkness may be further emboldened.”
