Street Vigilante Terrorism in Pakistan

As much as I am appalled at the barbaric murders in Ahmadi mosques in Lahore and the mob killing of Butt brother in Sialkot, I cant but express my disagreement with a spade of articles that have appeared in some newspapers lately in response to these ghastly acts of violence. A couple of them were published in Pakistan Tribune a few days ago. Mr. Fultons column in Pakistan Tribune and Mr. Fasis article in the same paper tribune.com.pk go as far as to cast aspirations on Pakistanis being human! That, indeed, is a new twist! I suppose that these columnists intend to make us all feel like the lunatics, or want us to drown ourselves in some sort of collective guilt. Yes, the Ahmadi mosque shooting on the 28th of May 2010 http://edition.cnn.com and the Sialkot murders http://www.dawn.com are both horrid events and only psychologically troubled persons could carry out such cold blooded massacres; but why should a whole nation of 180 million be made to feel like murderers in a manner that Mr. Fulton and Mr. Fasi want us to? After all, Sunni and Shia mosques have been bombed and armed security guards stand over worshippers in main mosques during prayers and cast nervous gazes at any entrant whose beard looks unkempt. Schools have been bombed, hospital emergency rooms have been targeted, civilian aircraft have been attacked and even the Military headquarters have been brought under siege. For the 99.9% of Pakistanis, it is a wretched sight. Unfortunately, it seems that we are ALL being held hostage by a very minute but violent section of our society. They have existed for several decades. Their current claim to fame lies in their sourcing of sophisticated arms and high explosive detonation devices from across the border. There have been so many terrorist attacks that the words terrorist and suicide bomber have entered the pure domain of Kindergarten childrens lexicon. Most of us are reasonable, moderate people, and feel scared at the turn our country is taking socially and economically, and the virtual hijacking of our minds by a small group of frustrated sociopaths and terrorists who run around, causing havoc all over our country. I also know that, as a nation, we have never elected a Mullah majority National Assembly. That is because we know the direction they might take, and are quite terrified of it. I can even surmise that Mullahs are not peoples choice in Pakistan outside of a mosque. The facts speak for themselves. John F. Kennedy once said that the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. That is where we are actually at, and our leaders are keenly aware of it. Therefore, NO one in Pakistan is safe anymore. A small section of our society that was intolerant before has become more and more belligerent. For them, just voicing their

discontent is not enough anymore. They have the funding, access to sophisticated arms and training and above all, a misguided sense of what they perceive to be right. They express delight at spilling blood of their own countrymen on the streets, regardless of their cultural or religious beliefs. They wish to horrify us and make us run into our homes and shout surrender. If it was up to people like Mr. Fulton and Mr. Fasi, we would actually be out on the streets celebrating the insanity! Prejudice exists in all societies and Pakistanis are no different. Mob mentality and violent voyeurism can be found all over the world. Unfortunately, the state, for all that it is worth, has been unable to tackle this issue in Pakistan. A few recent events of street vigilantism that has parallels to the Sialkot lynching come to my mind:

Burning of bandits in Saddar Karachi Burning of bandits in Korangi, Karachi Beating-till-death of bandits in Metroville area, Karachi. The bandits were also tied to a jeep and dragged on streets Murder of a Hindu worker in a factory by a mob of Muslim co-workers on alleged Tauheen-e-Risalat remarks Murder of two Christian brothers in Sialkot by a mob. They were accused of using defamatory remarks for the Holy Prophet (SWT) Street justice provided by the Taliban terrorists in Swat/Malakand (including whipping, slaughtering, hanging and chopping off body parts) All incidents of Karo-Kari where unqualified jurists ask for murder of the victims, some even after being gang rape. Throwing of Kainat Soomro in front of dogs in Karachi by an "honor" bitten mob comprising of her family members.

There is at least one thing in common in all these incidents- the lack of fear of consequences. With our political system so corrupt, the vigilantes have no fear of reprisal by the state. After all, it suits the government that the law enforcement agencies remain weak and ineffective. Whenever Pakistanis have been given a chance, they have voted for democracy, and somehow, have always been humiliated by the elected leaders. So, where does the mistake lie? Whose mistakes are these? Are we paying the price for others deeds or our own? I dont have the answers, but I know that no one reserves a right to implicate the majority for a tiny minority's sins!