In continuity to the
previous post where the causes of deterioration of security situation in
Pakistan were identified, below are some suggestions to perk up the situation.
The suggestions have been divided in two main categories namely institutional
measures (at governmental and madrassahs level) and individual measures (to
include every citizen individually or as a member of community).
Institutional
Measures
- Measures
to be taken by the Government. Government
(to include federal government, provincial governments, cabinet, ministry of
interior, ministry of religious affairs, ministry of defence and all their
relevant departments) have to play leading role and needs to take bold steps to
restore law and order in the country. Bold steps may be bitter and politically
ominous for any government in power but those are necessary for national
integrity and sovereignty. Political leadership must realize that their survival
and gaining power is conditional to peaceful internal environment in the
country. Some measures to be taken by the government are as under: -
- Political
Will to Address Security Issues Across the Board. Political
parties and government must keep their personal association and political
benefits aside and deal with the issues impartially. During decision making
process and consultation, national interest must be given precedence over all
other political gains, personal or political alliances with anti-state groups. Stern
and speedy action must be taken to nip the evil in the bud. Indecisiveness and
using delaying tactics encourages trouble makers to multiply. Resultantly they
grow large enough to be easily controlled.
- Improvements
in Educational syllabi. Polluted minds of the youth are lethal
for integrity of any nation. Central and provincial governments must revise
educational syllabus to ensure that any hateful content is removed. Instead of
hateful content, syllabus must include true Islamic teachings of peace,
harmony, brotherhood, tolerance, co-existence, and unity. Students must be
taught the spirit of Islam; a religion for universal peace and blessings, and
not to divide them in different groups and sub-groups.
- Monitoring
of Madrassahs. Religious schools (madrassahs) are vital
for providing religious teachings of Islam and to educate people on the Islamic
code of conduct vis-a-vis modern days’ environments. Madrassahs are doing a
great service in this regard but unfortunately some of them are being exploited
by foreign countries to use these madrassahs for spreading hate, training
militants, and enrolling youth for their nefarious aims. In return the
madrassahs involved in such activities are heavily funded by such foreign
countries. Government has to play her part in monitoring the madrassahs to make
sure that: -
- Syllabus
being taught in madrassahs is in line with national policy of unity, harmony
and brotherhood, instead of spreading hate against others for worldly gains.
- No
madrassahs are involved in recruitment of Jehadis and training thereof. All
such madrassahs must be banned and sealed irrespective of their political and/
or religious affiliations with any group/ sect/ pressure group etc.
- Funding
of madrassahs must be properly monitored and their accounts must be audited by
independent auditors to keep a track of their sources of income, details of
expenditures, and to keep a check on any irregularities.
- Central
syllabus must be prepared for madrassahs to ensure that no hateful books or
literature against national integrity and unity is being taught.
- Hateful
speeches, spread of hateful literature and publications from the platform of
madrassahs must be discontinued. Use of loudspeakers and content of sermons for
Eids/ Friday prayers be centrally controlled/ monitored.
- Religious
groups/ politico-religious parties must be taken into confidence and consulted
before formulation of foreign policy about any international issue. Once the
policy has been formulated no group to be allowed to propagate/ mobilize
general public against it. All such activities must be considered as anti-state
and should be punishable under Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
-
Control
on Protests/ Processions and Public Gatherings. In
a democratic country, people have the basic right to freedom speech, freedom of
expression, freedom of political opinion and freedom to demonstrate against any
decision/ legislation made by the government. These rights of people must be respected
but on the other hand it must also be ensured that such freedoms do not snatch
away the rights of other citizen like protection, business, movement, and
schooling etc. Government needs to formulate laws and implement them strictly
to ensure that no unlawful activities are permissible under the blanket
protection of freedom to citizens. Some steps suggested are as under: -
- Political/
religious gatherings on roads must be strictly disallowed through legislation.
A place may be reserved in each city/ town for all such activities and no
blockade of roads be permitted under any circumstances. Offenders must be
punished severely under PPC.
- Burning
of tyres during processions/ protests should be declared unlawful. These burnt
tyres not only increase pollution and cause respiratory diseases but also
decolour the surroundings thus destroying the ambience and environment of areas
astride main roads. Offenders must also be punished under PPC.
- Before
any procession/ protest the management of such event must sign an agreement
with local administration and ensure that any damage, loss, destruction, theft
of public and/ or private property shall be avoided. In case of any such
losses, a neutral assessment committee be tasked to assess the loss and that
must be recovered from the organizers of such processions/ protests. Defaulters
must be punished under PPC.
- Display
of Arms in Public. The culture of show of power by displaying
arms in public by the private guards of elites must be disallowed. No public display
of arms by any person should be allowed other than Police/ CAF/ Military
personnel on duty. Strict punitive action must be ensured against offenders irrespective
of whatever pressure Law Enforcing Agencies (LEAs) have to bear to implement
this law.
- Depoliticizing
of LEAs. To ensure that laws pertaining to improving security
situation are implemented, it is imperative that LEAs must be free from any
political pressures/ favours. Heads of the LEAs must be given free hand to take
action against any violations of laws, arrest/ detain offenders without
considering any political/ religious/ social/ influential pressures. They must
also be free to do postings, transfers, promotions, demotions and all other departmental
administrative actions as per the rules and merits and no political or other
pressure groups should be allowed to interfere in their routine professional
performance.
- Administrative
Measures. Local administration must ensure that police, government
employees and other responsible staff are aware of potential security threats
and are mentally/ physically prepared to thwart against any eventuality.
Certain protective measures to be taken by local police include: -
- Maintaining
a list of all tenants living in the area with their personal data/ copy of CNIC
etc.
- Keep
a vigilant watch over movement of strangers entering/ exiting the area.
- Vehicle
movement and pattern of movement of any suspicious people/ vehicles/ motorbikes
etc.
- System
of secret monitoring of street hawkers/ house maids/ gardeners and other
domestic labourers.
- Measures
to be taken by Madrassahs. Role of Madrassahs cannot be
undermined as they share the burden of Government in providing education, food,
protection, and financial assistance not only to the pupils but also their
families. These madrassahs are sponsored and funded by NGOs, religious groups/
organization and locally by committees of citizen. Most of these madrassahs are
doing great service to a very noble cause and are educating children of those
families who cannot afford sending them to regular schools due to economic
hardships. Some of the madrassahs, unfortunately, have been reported to sponsor
terrorist organizations, banned religious groups, militants and other
anti-state players because of two main reasons. First – their sectarian
association with those groups and secondly – greed for monetary gains.
Leadership of madrassahs and their organizing bodies must review the strategy and
ensure that no black sheep are permitted to destroy the reputation of
madrassahs as an institution. A self analysed and well thought out code of
conduct must be formulated and strictly followed by madrassahs. Some
recommended measures madrassahs must adhere to are given below: -
- Non-Branding
of Mosques. No mosques must be branded as a Devbandi, Wahabi,
Hanafi, Shia, Brelvi etc. All mosques have to be considered as house of worship
of Allah and any one must be allowed to enter in any mosque and offer prayers
according to their own faith (fiqh). This will help in creating a wave of
brotherhood and unity and will bring different sects closer to each other.
- Teaching
of Common Aspects. Basic beliefs of Islam are common in every
sect of Islam; the minor differences are when it comes to practices. Religious
scholars must make joint efforts to highlight the common aspects and not
exploit the differences for the sake of their personal gains.
- Interaction
between Scholars of Different Sects. Electronic media has made
some efforts to make the scholars of different sects sit together and discuss common
aspects accepted by all. Such efforts must also be done by the scholars
themselves to visit each other’s madrassahs, participate in each other’s
religious gatherings, show respect to the customs practiced by opposite sects
and must curb the tendency of declaring each other as nonbelievers (kafir).
- Disassociation
from Militants. Management of madrassahs must ensure that
there madrassahs are not associated with any militant group, recruiter,
solicitor, or helper of such extremists/ terrorists groups. Madrassahs must
make sure that the students enrolled in their institutions are taught the
religious preaching in their true spirit without any worldly gains.
- Respect
for Holy Personalities. All religious leaders must ensure that
their followers respect holy personalities of opposite sects. No one should be
allowed to show slightest disrespect for the family, wives, and companions of Prophet
Muhammad (peace is upon him). Scholars must educate common people to refrain
from use of abusive language and calling names to anyone as it is strictly
prohibited in Islam and under no circumstances can be termed as any service to
the religion.
Personal
Measures
Personal measures include
measures to be taken at individual level and as a group of citizen in daily
life. Every person must be responsible to ensure following: -
- Keep the movements of their children under
strict observation to ensure that: -
- They are not befriended with any negative
elements in school, mosque, neighbourhood etc.
- Ensure that no teacher in school/ madrassah
or a visiting tutor at home is propagating them on any hateful content.
- No one is trying to convince them to side
with or join any militant group or militia and fight against the state.
- They are not being brainwashed to support or
be part of any suicidal mission.
- Their donations or charity is going in
positive hands and is not being used to fund any militant/ anti-state
organizations.
- Everyone must understand that understanding
and following the religious teaching is the responsibility of every Muslim.
Every Muslim must learn the beliefs and practices through study, research and
analytical evaluation of Islamic history. Blindly following the preaching of
any scholar, mullah or molvi is against the spirit of Islam.
- Religious affairs must not be left to Molvis
only. Being Muslim it is the responsibility of every citizen to learn basic
things like saying prayer call (azan) in the ears of a new born child, offering
funeral prayers (namaz e janaza), and other such things themselves, without
being dependent on religious clerics.
- Must not support any act of hatefulness
against anyone else despite any association, close relation, loyalty to any other
association.
- Must not participate in any anti-state
protest, procession etc and if it is unavoidable, must not cause harm to any
public/ private property during the protest.
- Must understand that everyone is responsible
for everyone’s own deeds so let others live and let them exercise their right
of freedom to worship. No one will be answerable to what others have been
practicing. If one is very keen to preach, preach according to Quranic
instructions as mentioned in Holy Quran (16:125) “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and
argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who
has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.”
Always remember that use of force against your opponent means that you have run
short of arguments to prove your point of view.
- Never support, assist, side, protect,
cooperate with any person having militant design or association with anti-state
element even if they are your close relatives or blood relations.
- Remain vigilant and if you observe any mischievous
or suspicious activity around you, immediately report it to the authorities
concerned.
- Worship your political/ national/ social
ideology but not the personalities. None of the religious, political or any
other leader is infallible and every one of them can commit mistakes. Do not
follow or defend them blindly. If they are wrong in any policy, argument, thought,
idea etc, just be courageous to have difference of opinion with them.
- Beware of all such persons/ groups/ media
person/ press/ channel etc that preaches anti-state propaganda in the garb of
modernization, liberalism, etc. Be loyal to Pakistan and ensure all our efforts
are to safeguard and protect the interests of our beloved motherland.
