While the nation was mourning the mass massacre of Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, the news of the murder of Professor Khalid Mehmood in Bahawalpur shocked the people of Pakistan. Organising a mixed-gender welcome party on campus premises became the late professor’s irredeemable crime which cost him his life. What is more alarming is the fact that the perpetrator of this ghastly crime was fully satisfied with what he had done. This is reminiscent of the puritanical era when all types of recreational activities were put to an end by right-wing outfits. Nothing but sheer bigotry and intolerance prompted the student to take that insane step.
To kill anyone using religion as an excuse has become routine in our society. The mob-lynching of Mashal Khan back in 2017 is a glaring example of this dangerous trend. It is evident that these self-styled zealots want to impose their coercive will to the exclusion of everything which does not fit in their self-proclaimed framework. We need to change our priorities. A complete overhauling of our existing curriculum is the first step towards that. To make our society more tolerant and harmonious, we will have to take some bold and decisive measures to curb the ever-growing problem of radicalisation. We need creative and critical minds which are not blind-followers of any extreme mindset. We need an entire lot of free-thinking individuals who can help our society become tolerant.
Muhammad Fayyaz Nawrha
Mianwali