The final outcome of the Islamabad sit-in doesn’t come as a surprise. The reason for this outcome is simple. What else can you expect from a visionless, confused and directionless government and state apparatus? This form of capitulation is not new; it started in the 1970s and has never halted since then. By surrendering to the miscreants, Pakistan’s state apparatus and ruling class have sent a clear message that they are not interested in stopping bigots, zealots and religiously-motivated mobs. They are not ready to change the decades-old policy of exploiting people’s religious sentiments for political gains. Religious clerics and leaders have been successfully employing the same tactics and policies over the years. This policy of appeasement and surrender has brought catastrophic consequences for us. Our economy has lost billions of dollars. Thousands of lives have been lost, including those of our brave men in uniform. Our international image has also been tarnished. But who cares? Our downward spiral serves the interests of the establishment and the ruling classes and also marginalises the secular, progressive and liberal forces. This ‘historic’ agreement has made three things quite clear. First, it shows that religious leaders and clerics will continue to have the final say in religious matters, and parliament has no authority. The state isn’t in the mood to challenge the hegemony of the religious forces and thereby establish its own authority. Second, the agreement indicates that religious beliefs are not a private matter. If sitting ministers are forced to appear before religious leaders and pirs, what will happen to civilians if certain clerics are given the power to determine the authenticity of a person’s beliefs? Third, the agreement suggests that religious extremism will continue to flourish in our country. The state has no problem with religious leaders and clerics who try to please the military and spread hatred against anyone who challenges their viewpoint. While the state continues to fight against those who want to impose their will on society through the gun, these elements will continue to spread hatred, bigotry and extremist ideas through their sermons and religiously-motivated political speeches. Every sit-in helps us learn new definitions of political and legal terminologies. The recent dharna in Islamabad teaches us the new meaning of ‘peaceful protesters’. If you block the roads for three weeks and disturb the routine life of hundreds of people without obtaining permission from the local authorities, you will still be considered a ‘peaceful protester’. The same logic applies if you attack the houses of PML-N leaders and ministers. If you attack the police and FC and abduct and torture their personnel, you will still fall within the definition of a ‘peaceful protester’. Even if you ransack public property and burn bikes and vehicles, your conduct will still be deemed ‘peaceful’. So feel free to abuse and unfairly blame anybody – including politicians, judges and state officials. If you spread hatred, incite violence and jeopardise the lives of people, you will still be considered a peace-loving protester. Don’t get too excited. There is a slight problem with this approach. You can only enjoy this liberty if you are religious leader who leads thousands of diehard supporters and followers. You can only conduct yourself in this manner if you can serve the interests of the real powers of this country. Moreover, you can only do that with impunity if you are using a sensitive religious issue. The Supreme Court took suo motu notice of this sit-in and made important observations in its order. Why did this order fail to make headlines or, for that matter, take centre-stage in the news studios? This is because the order exposed the real motives of the protesters and heavily reproached their conduct. Since there was nothing against Nawaz Sharif in this order, the media hawks lost interest. At this stage, we have found a new scapegoat: Nawaz Sharif. Imran Khan has successfully built a new narrative that blames Nawaz Sharif for any wrong that happens in this country. Nawaz Sharif too played a role in the crisis that we are facing today. He was once a beneficiary of the politics of bigotry and extremism. His son-in-law still insists that the protesters did nothing wrong. In the report that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) submitted to the Supreme Court, it is stated that the protesters who blocked the Faizabad Interchange have a political agenda to fulfil. “The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) is determined to exploit the situation and gain political mileage to gain support for the next general elections,” said a six-page order issued by a two-judge bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Qazi Faez Isa. In its order, the apex court observed that force and violence had no place in Islam and that the word ‘Islam’ itself meant peace. “[U]nfortunately the protesters are disregarding the commands contained in the Holy Quran and are preventing Muslims [from living] their lives in accordance with the injunctions of Islam,” the order noted. Whatever the agenda may be – which the ISI stated to be “political” in nature – the order says that “they cannot be permitted to disrupt the lives of the citizens and... expose them to harm and even death, as [was witnessed in the death] of [a] child” whose ambulance was blocked from reaching the hospital in the early days of the sit-in. Now read the ‘historic’ agreement in light of this order and draw your own conclusions. The TLY is the winner of this dharna and the government is the real loser. The PML-N is likely to face the aftershocks of this political earthquake that has shaken the ground under its feet. The writer is a freelance journalist.
