Dharna disorder

As tension mounts in Islamabad over the fate of the ‘dharna’ being staged in the capital for over 10 days by the by Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah and Sunni Tehreek Pakistan, the government faces what seems like a no-win situation. Despite the orders passed by the Islamabad High Court on Thursday that the dharna be called off, the protesters have defied the court and continued their sit-in on the road linking Islamabad to Rawalpindi. The protest has affected many, with people struggling to reach schools, offices, hospitals, the airport etc, and has left the government with no good choices. It could follow the orders of the IHC and use any means necessary to disperse the crowd but there is always the danger of any such attempt leading to retaliation and violence. The fears expressed by Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal that certain elements within the gathering are deliberately seeking a violent outcome in order to make trouble for the government is worth bearing in mind. This would obviously create a crisis. If the government lets the situation remain as is, Islamabad will remain sealed off and the protesters will feel even more emboldened. At the time of writing this editorial, negotiations were again being tried, but once again there is no guarantee that will appease the crowd.
The protest – which would appear meaningless to many – was started against a minor amendment in the Election Act of Pakistan under which the agitators say the affidavit stating any candidate contesting elections upheld the finality of Prophethood was changed into a mere declaration. The alteration in the wording of the clause – attributed to a clerical error – has since been changed back. Protesters have continued to demand the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid over the matter. The fact that the affair can lead to the virtual shut down of the federal capital demonstrates the fragile and troubled nature of politics in Pakistan, with religion being used as a political tool. Similar situations have occurred repeatedly in Pakistan’s history with various groups effectively holding governments hostage, particularly over religious issues. What is also significant is that we now have a new political force, the Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah, in our midst. There is every reason to believe that the group plans to participate in the next elections, especially given its ability to muster votes in the NA-120 by-election. Its ability to muster up street power in alliance with other religious groups suggests it has no scruples about using such measures as and when it seeks to do so. The government had already made the change in the offending clause and the Elections Act has now been passed by parliament. The matter then should have ended long ago. That it has continued says a great deal about the state of our country today.