Tragedy in Charsadda

There was a time, not very long ago, when the murder of a respected teacher by a grade 12 student would have been unheard of. There was also a time when the country’s blasphemy law was not used to put people to death, without trial or even an opportunity to defend themselves. All this changed after the mid-1980s when harsh new additions to the country’s blasphemy law made it more liable to be misused. Since 1990, at least 65 persons have been murdered in the country after being accused of blasphemy. All these deaths came outside the judicial system. Once an accusation is made disaster follows. In the latest such tragedy, the principal of New Islamia Public College in Charsadda has become a victim. Sareer Ahmad, described as a highly dedicated teacher and the father of four young children, died after six bullets were pumped into his body at close range by an enraged second year student at his college, Faheem Ashraf, on Monday. Faheem had been rebuked a few hours before the incident for failing to attend college for three days in November and instead taking part in the Faizabad sit-in in Islamabad organised by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Unbelievable as it seems, the decision by the principal to scold his teenage pupil led to brutal murder. The student has now been arrested and, needless to say, should be put on trial for the murder.

But we also need to recognise the degree of inhumanity and brutality which is driving people to such actions. Such an attitude is fostered by protests like the one at Faizabad where accusations of blasphemy were flung at all and sundry. The potency of blasphemy allegations is such that it instantly imperils the accused, as we saw in the case of this school principal and with the lynching of Mashal Khan. From prominent TV anchors to the hordes on social media, the blasphemy charge has been levelled with abandon – particularly in recent years. The state has a role to play in ensuring that this does not repeat itself. As many mainstream clerics have suggested, the punishment for levelling knowingly false blasphemy accusations needs to be as severe as those of blasphemy itself to deter such criminal irresponsibility. Equally important is taking a close look at ourselves and how we have allowed intolerance to divide us. Something has quite evidently gone very badly wrong in our society. The willingness to end life on whim has increased. This can only auger ill for a society already riddled with the disease of hatred, intolerance and illogic. If it is true that politics is downstream from culture, then the only way to reform the laws is by first reforming society.