Opinion Violence alone

IT is not just the jihadi-affected restive tribal areas that have suffered violence. The supposedly “well-governed” cities and towns have not enjoyed peace in a long time. Sectarian or political violence didn’t spare Pakistan this week either,when the Muslim world was celebrating Eid-ul-Azha.

Daily Times reported on October 30: “A remote-controlled bomb was detonated in Nowshera district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the shrine of Pashto Sufi saint Kasteer Gul when it was crowded with people celebrating Eid. The death toll reached four and more than 25 people were injured.” The attack was attributed to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Another report stated that,in the ongoing political violence in Karachi,there were 13 more deaths on Eid day. Most violent incidents in Karachi are attributed to political rivalry.

Sectarian violence against the persecuted Ahmadi community continues. The community is considered not just non-Muslim but also blasphemous by a large section of Pakistanis,so much so that the liberal Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,during his prime ministership,had to issue a decree labelling Ahmadis as non-Muslims.

In a fresh incident last week,two Ahmadis were killed in the same city. Things came to such a pass that the local police began to remove epitaphs carrying Quranic verses from the graves of Ahmadis to pre-empt violent incidents. Following this,the embattled community wrote a letter appealing for security. Last year,the Supreme Court initiated a suo motu case against Karachi’s violence. The Express Tribune reported on November 2: “During a recent Supreme Court hearing in Karachi that was examining the progress made on its 2011 verdict on violence in the city,a police officer attempted to explain why over a dozen people had died the day before the hearing. ‘And this person was a Qadiani,’ he said,referring to a victim. There was no further explanation. Nine Ahmadis have been killed in Karachi since January,a marked increase from recent years. The Ahmadiyya Jamaat has now written to government officials,including the president,prime minister… calling on them to take action against those responsible. The community believes that Ahmadis have been targeted for their faith.” The Express Tribune reported that “during the last 13 months,2,381 murder cases were registered and 761 arrests were made.”

More work,more pay

THE Supreme Court has suggested that since Karachi’s law-and-order situation extracts more work from its law enforcement agencies,the city’s cops deserve higher salaries. “During proceedings,Justice Khilji Arif remarked that the budget for the Rangers should be used to double the salary of the police,” The News reported on November 1.

Witness protection

IN WHAT could become a landmark legislation,President Asif Ali Zardari has suggested a mechanism to not only help law enforcement agencies implement punitive action against perpetrators of violence,but also safeguard witnesses. Dawn reported on November 1: “President Zardari. advised the provincial law minister to work on enacting suitable legislation for the protection of witnesses. He observed that one of the reasons hindering effective prosecution was that witnesses backed out due to fear and insecurity. He advised the government to study the model of witness protection laws adopted in other countries in the wake of rising militant activities for this purpose.”

Stumped?

IMRAN KHAN,cricketer-turned-chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was detained in Toronto while boarding a New York-bound flight last week for his stance against drone strikes. Putting up a brave front on social media and flexing his political muscle,Khan reiterated his stance and claimed he didn’t cower before US immigration officers. That may have won him accolades from his supporters,but a senior US diplomat in Pakistan was clearly not impressed. The Express Tribune reported on November 2: “Khan’s recent detention in Toronto by US authorities was used for political mileage by the PTI chief,said the US Deputy Chief of Mission Richard Hoagland… [According to Hoagland,‘A lot of the story that went out was not very accurate,but played up for political purposes’.”