Sad times

The attack launched by the leadership of the TLP against state institutions was a sinister call for rebellion against the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech against extremists who were wreaking havoc in the country was a reassurance that the writ of the state and rule of law will be the governing principles in dealing with the threats posed by the TLP. But, what this nation witnessed last week was incomprehensible and unforgivable. The poor unprotected people became the victims of the protesters who held the entire country hostage in the name of religion.

While the government claimed with a lot of fanfare that the agreement with the mobsters avoided bloodshed, did this agreement assure the Pakistani people that the country will be governed by rule of law and not by the rule of a charged mob? This uncertainty doesn’t bode well for this country. It is hoped – as now being claimed by the government – that the offenders of the writ of the state will not go unpunished. It is also hoped that this will not be similar to the empty rhetoric heard from the pulpit of power in the recent past but will result in concrete actions to bring those responsible for chaos and violence to book.

Dr Zafar I Qureshi

Lahore