Roadblocks in Lahore

Well, they cannot shift the Lahore Literary Festival – LLF – to Dubai or Sharjah. Unlike the Pakistan Super League. A literary event is not spectator sport. And there are battles that have to be fought for Pakistan’s survival within its own territory. Our victories in Operation Zarb-e-Azb alone will not be enough to guard our intellectual and cultural frontiers.

There are thoughts that are prompted by the unexpected and surprising withdrawal of the No Objection Certificate issued by the administration to the LLF because of, as reported, “heightened security threats” and “in the larger public interest”. This was done on Wednesday and the three-day festival was to be inaugurated on Friday on the sprawling premises of Alhamra Cultural Complex.

Consequently, the event was truncated to two days, Saturday and Sunday, and has been shifted to Avari Hotel, which is across Alhamra but has limited space for a celebration that the authorities should have collaborated with as the pride of a city that is recognised as the cultural heart of the country. Besides, the massive enhancement of its physical infrastructure has been touted as the glory of its administration.

In this setting, a grand literary festival would naturally endorse the worth of Lahore’s intellectual infrastructure – something that ultimately certifies the stature of a great city. Lahore is in an ideal situation to launch and bolster a movement that may be described as an alternative National Action Plan to counter violent extremism, intolerance and obscurantism that have posed a threat to the very existence of this country.

Incidentally, the franchise, in a sense, was founded in troubled Karachi and its seventh edition was held just two weeks ago. In spite of the poor security environment, the Karachi ‘Literature’ Festival has continued to grow and its initial success obviously inspired the Lahore ‘Literary’ Festival and the present one is its fourth edition. It, too, has been a remarkable success.

Hence, this hitch that has interfered with the festival this year in the name of security may be seen just as an aberration. However, it raises issues that go beyond the literary festival itself. It is important that the NOC had properly been issued and was revoked just two days before the event. One explanation was that more foreign delegates were coming than were originally expected. As if Lahore is not ready or willing to invite foreign delegates.

Essentially, the entire issue is related to why there is this sudden sense of insecurity, particularly in Punjab, when we have repeatedly been reminded of the progress that has been made in the ongoing campaign against terrorists and extremists. The National Action Plan, with its proclaimed objective to take out all impediments to peace and social harmony, is more than one year old. Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched earlier. The unbearable tragedy of the Army Public School in Peshawar was seen as the catalyst for change.

Obviously, there have been lapses in how military and civilian authorities have conducted their operations to deal with elements that generate terror. Evidence of this could be seen in the surge of terrorist activities in the early days of this year, the attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda being a high point of this phase. In recent weeks, the focus was on the security of the educational institutions and there were palpable signs of fear and even panic.

One report published on Friday has suggested that the government is about to launch an operation against the banned outfits. This could lead to a lot of action and possible retaliation on what are supposed to be ‘soft targets’. It is instructive and also a manifestation of the nature of the crisis that the ruling ideas have created that the liberal and progressive voices are specifically under attack. Since our higher authorities do not seem to have the capacity to understand this conflict, no concerted attempts have been made to defend or promote an open society in which modern ideas and issues are freely debated.

A literary festival, as I had argued two weeks ago in my column on the Karachi Literature Festival, serves as a bulwark against the retrogressive elements of society. If a new attack against the extremists in Punjab is being contemplated, the timing of the LLF was opportune for the authorities to demonstrate their resolve to protect an emblem of creativity and peace in society. By blocking this celebration, they have indicated their loss of nerve as well as administrative ineptitude.

Security is vital and it should be, as they like to say, foolproof, particularly when foreign dignitaries are involved. But with all the power that is at the disposal of the state, providing security to a literary festival should be very possible. After all, the enemy is known to the security apparatus. Arrangements could be made that are not too disruptive.

A disturbing thought it is but is it possible that the Punjab authorities do not much care for a literary festival? On the face of it, the provincial administration is modernist in its approach and Lahore is the jewel in its crown. Alas, the federal leadership does not deserve this benefit of the doubt. Only a creative writer may be able to capture the confusion of how someone like Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is meant to lead the government’s campaign against terror.

It is perhaps easy and perfunctory to overstate the value and significance of a literary festival in a society that is so bereft of civilisational and civic values. Despite so many committed and courageous defenders of human rights that we have, the overall state of the civil society is weak. Pakistan has been governed by terror and fear for too long. It is necessary to make efforts to awaken the collective conscience of the people and strengthen the civil society to fight for causes it holds dear.

A lit-fest will have its therapeutic impact but more action is required on a sustained manner to mobilise the enlightened sections of society. Educated youth have a prominent role to play in this struggle. Unfortunately, our young people have little sense of what liberal and democratic values are all about. Some recent incidents that have taken place in India should serve as an example in this case.

Still, Lahore is an ideal location for the educated youth and students of universities to make their voices heard and breathe some life into the civil society of this country. For this, they should be able to think – and to read. And attend a literary festival.

The writer is a staff member.

Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com