Time to stand with progressives

The shameful treatment meted out to the participants of the Rawadari March in Karachi on Sunday has severely damaged the democratic credentials of the PPP, which claims to champion human rights and civil liberties. The PPP-led Sindh government reportedly used heavy-handed tactics to disperse peaceful protesters who were expressing outrage over the killing of Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar, allegedly in a staged police encounter a few weeks ago.

Dr Kunbhar, considered one of the brightest students of Liaquat Medical College in Jamshoro, was implicated in what has been called a fabricated blasphemy case, forcing him to seek refuge in Karachi. His father was reportedly taken into custody, with the police pressuring the doctor to surrender, assuring him that justice would be served. However, instead of presenting him in court, he was killed in an allegedly staged encounter, sparking protests across the province. Progressive forces have demanded the government rein in the unbridled extremist elements that are poisoning the religious landscape of Sindh.

Many believe the Sindh government used heavy-handed tactics and arrested scores of people, including trade unionists Nasir Mansoor and Zahra Khan, Awami Workers Party Secretary General Bukhshal Thallo, and AWP's Aliya Bukhshal, Sindhi intellectual Jami Chandio, his daughter Romasa, singer Saif Samejo, activist Sorath Lohar, and Qazi Khizer of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). The police are also reported to have treated HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt disrespectfully.

Critics argue that the swiftness with which the police detained the marchers should have been demonstrated when regressive elements were threatening the doctor's family and burning his body. Political opponents of the PPP believe that not only the police but also party leaders share responsibility for the doctor's death.

This is not the first time the PPP has yielded to pressure from such elements. Many point to the party's soft stance towards a notorious spiritual leader from Ghotki, accused of facilitating the forced conversion of Hindu girls. The party refused to distance itself from him for years, only doing so after intense pressure from civil society.

Nationalist and progressive elements of Sindh demonstrated extraordinary courage in confronting these regressive elements, holding in-absentia funerals of the slain doctor besides making it very clear that religious bigotry won’t find any space in the lands of Sufis.

Although the PPP has tried to carry out some progressive legislation in the past, by and large it has also succumbed to the pressure of right-wing religious elements – much like other political parties. It buckled under the pressure of the religious right a few years ago when the provincial assembly passed a bill banning the marriage of underage girls. The bill is yet to be implemented effectively.

Like other parts of the country, Karachi has also witnessed the rise of the religious right during the past few years. The political vacuum created by the weakening of the MQM is being filled by religio-political parties and sectarian groups that are badly damaging the social fabric of the metropolis. The recent clashes between two sects in the Golimar area clearly indicate that all religious groups are trying to flex their muscles in the city.

It is also unfortunate that the PTI and the PML-N have adopted a near-complete silence over this treatment. Some PPP leaders apologised for the treatment meted out to the participants of the march but the real problem lies in the way the government deals with the phenomenon of regressive leanings.

In several parts of Sindh, religious parties have made inroads over the years through indoctrination, preaching conventions and welfare projects. In areas like Thar, Umerkot – among others – banned groups were allowed to make their presence felt under the patronage of the state.

If the PPP really wants to address this rising phenomenon of religious intolerance, then it must come up with a comprehensive plan. It must try to make the more than 4000 non-functional schools in the province functional which might prompt parents to send their children to these places of learning instead of to religious seminaries. It must work on the provision of drinking water, and improvement of sanitation and health so that religious outfits are not able to use the pretext of social welfare to advance their agenda of divisiveness. The provincial government must also work on its plans to modernise the syllabus, purging the books of elements that contribute to religious bigotry.

The party enjoys absolute majority in the assembly. The federal legislature has been dithering over proposed laws seeking to punish false accusations of blasphemy but the party can easily make such a law in the province. If such a law is enacted, it might prompt other federating units to follow suit.

At a public level, it should follow the precedent of Shah Latif University students who challenged bigots by holding Sufi events. The message of Sufi Shah Inayat, Sachal Sarmast, Shah Latif and other mystics has always been attractive to the people of the province. The government should use this existing advantage to confront extremist elements. Lectures on the message of these saints and Sufi musical events would not only provide youths with some positive activities but also prompt them to stay away from extremist forces.

The government might argue that it is very difficult to do all this but the participants of the march and progressive elements of Sindh have shown that if there is a will, there is a way.

The writer is a freelance journalist who can be reached at:

egalitarianism444@gmail.com