Fires of brutality

Every year on the occasion of Eid, numerous tourists from all over the country visit the northern areas. Unfortunately, this year a heartbreaking barbaric incident happened in the beautiful valley of Swat, also known as the Switzerland of Pakistan, resulting in spreading insecurity among tourists at a massive level.

Those who had come to the valley with their friends and families were forced to return as soon as possible amid panic, and those planning to Swat postponed their trips. Reportedly, many tourists from other provinces have left the valley too.

The tragedy also reminded me of my visit to Swat last year when I went there as the chairman of the Prime Minister's Task Force for Gandhara Tourism along with foreign diplomats and media representatives to promote religious tourism in Pakistan at the government level.

During my visit, I found the locals very hospitable and friendly, but at the same time, I observed that residents looked scared, and there was an atmosphere of strange terror in the area. During the two-day tour, I was unable to find any local women on the roads or in any public place.

I am very disturbed due to the recent incident. In the past, the peace of Swat was destroyed due to external forces, but in the recent incident, local extremist elements seem to be involved, which is not a good sign for the development and prosperity of the region. Once again we have been shamed in front of the international community as an extremist nation.

I believe that no religion in the world allows for violence, intolerance, and taking the law into one's hands. Reprehensible incidents such as blasphemy also occur by some sick-minded elements in other parts of the world but a lot of care is ensured to handle such sensitive matters.

Although the Swat police after receiving a complaint of alleged blasphemy, took timely action and the accused was taken into custody by the police for further legal action, regressive and extremist elements, adopting an unacceptable attitude of intolerance, incited the religious sentiments of the people and an angry mob attacked the police station to kill an unarmed person publicly.

I understand that the tragedy of Swat is not limited to a specific area. Just in the recent past, a woman in Lahore was near being attacked by regressives for wearing a dress with Arabic script written on it. Before that, a Sri Lankan citizen was brutally murdered. In the past too, several such incidents have been reported in the media which reflect the growing intolerance in our society.

Currently, there is a general opinion that the recent unfortunate incident has caused irreparable damage to the tourism of the region. At this time, all the locals of Swat and other tourist places should understand that tourists are guests in their areas, and the economy of such areas depends on the arrival of tourists. If religious extremism continues to flourish like this, then nobody will have the courage to visit there.

In my view, there must be a transparent and impartial investigation about the tragic murder of the tourist in Swat. Sensible and God-fearing locals should come forward to curb such religious extremism in their society. It is also the socio-religious responsibility of religious scholars from all sects to strongly condemn this tragedy in the Friday sermons and to promote tolerance, patience and brotherhood in our society, they must issue a joint fatwa against such kind of extremism and barbarism. Otherwise, I am afraid that, if we remain silent today, the growing fires of cruelty and brutality may reach us very soon.

The writer is a member of the

National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

He tweets/posts @RVankwani