Blasphemy Violence: Political failure to protect citizens in Sindh

I have known Jami Chandio as a friend for many years. Always, with a gift of explaining in plain and simple terms what makes the world so beautiful.He is among those people who developed, in the most subtle and subconscious ways, an unending curiosity and fascination to learn more of people’s history of our land. Humans have a tendency to make the world beautiful with their unity by accepting and absorbing differences. As a friend, there is never any weariness from learning so much.  His passion and the love of the land of Sufis, and Bhakts, his love for the values and words of his soil, Sindh, carrying with it a thousands of years of legacy of human existence, long even before the Aryans began to arrive here, and the land, Sindhodesh, the origination of what we are today, and of which he passionately writes and speaks about, is all about humanness of the place, the oneness of all people of color and distinction, and the many transformations and civilizational syncretism this land represents. I still fondly recall his visit to Lahore with his daughter Romasa, a very confident young girl, curious about Lahore as any visitor naturally is, inspired by the tales and food of the place. She was, back then, the quiet type, but learned and ever curious as any child should be. Romasa is, like that silent warrior, who can brave all the odds to get her voice heard. Like a true daughter of her soil.

Days ago, distressing footage began appearing on social media exposing Sindh police brutality against the peaceful protestors demanding an end to religious extremism. Romasa and her father were among those getting a brutal treatment outside Karachi Press Club. News was pouring in that they, along with others had been arrested and taken to an unknown location. Worried, I asked another mutual friend if all had been okay.

“We were shoved in a van and taken to another location. We were then told that KPC was under threat of Tehreek e Labbaik extremists, so they were doing it for our “safety” by dragging us away”.

A few weeks ago, in the aftermath of Dr. Shahnawaz’s brutal murder by Sindh police, a peaceful Rawadari protest was also called in Lahore, but the organizers were held back and all attempts were made to prevent them from attending it.

What kind of “safeguard” is this that results in police beating non-violent protestors, or stopping them from registering their concerns? The way the authorities act has always been most cowardly, disproportionate, and shameful, be it be the case for Sindh, or anywhere else in Pakistan. The mockery the police and the Sindh government led by Pakistan’s Peoples Party has made of itself, by failing to protect its citizens is glaringly obvious.

And people are angry. There is a reason why the PPP, cannot be exonerated of its own sin of being active facilitators of extremism that has grown manifold in the province over the years. PPP, that claims to be progressive and democratic, can no longer hide behind the garb of helplessness anymore. Politicking, especially in post-Zia era, of making internal strategic alliances for power-holding and relevance in the interior of the province, under the grip of powerful landlords, has been going on unchallenged for decades. The ground had been nurtured for religious extremism for all their pragmatic reasons, but with little concern for what it would reap in near future. As many had been pointing out since a long way back, we are beginning to see their predictions and forewarnings materializing. We are headed for an ultimate, certain disaster. A manifestation of political failure to call wrong a wrong.

The political appeasement of clerics in Sindh, like UmerAyubSarhandi, and MianAbdul Haq (famous as MianMithoo) is not unknown. They have set up empires on the Madrassah business and thriving on vulnerabilities of the economically marginalized peasants, or the helpless, landless, loan-bondage victim Haris whose families are at stake at the hand of exploitation. A special mention on the vulnerabilities of Hindu Hari peasant communities must be made here, as their religious conversions are taking place with no scrutiny, checks or balances. Chances of these conversions being forced and coerced are also high under all plausible situations. And here, it must also not be forgotten that a bill was presented in Sindh Assembly to end forced conversions, but it was rescinded first after getting passed unanimously, and was completely struck down by the treasury bench the second time it was presented. PPP was responsible.

The power tactic to maintain political relevance through fear turns out to be most pragmatic for those pulling the strings in the power corridors. Even at the center, multiple attempts are being made to whitewash the said clerics’ by inviting them to the heavily political and compromised “Interfaith Harmony” events organized by dubious think tanks in Islamabad before the eyes of mainstream media. Even in the capital, they do not shy away from delivering more toxic sermons against human rights voices expressing valid concerns over faith-related crimes and hate speech.

So what was the purpose of RawadariTehreek other than questioning the government that failed to eliminate religious influence and extremism? The barbaric targeting by blasphemy mobs of innocent ordinary citizens, as Dr. ShahnawazKumbhar over false blasphemy allegations, and the direct involvement of police in committing murders and then later the murderers getting garlanded by political leaders, as we have seen PPP member and MNA from TharparkarPir Ameer Ali Shah Jeelani, publically praising and garlanding now suspended DIG JavedJaskwani over brutal murder of a serving doctor at a district hospital in Umerkot. Not one person has been arrested so far.

Two things that stand out that directly places questions on the role of the state and how does it plan to safeguard fundamental rights of citizens under the constitution, and RawadariTehreek was right in organizing this protest:

1. The issue of extrajudicial, illegal custodial killing
2. Spread of religious extremism and lack of protection

There was another very crucial piece of information that should not go unnoticed: the connection of the clerics responsible for riling up mob sentiments in the name of blasphemy and going after the innocent citizens.A pattern, as also adopted by Tehreek e Labbaik in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is becoming increasingly familiar in Sindh as well. Commonalities in mob violence in terms of area and geography also tells a tale of how organized and targeted their blasphemy business becoming. The notorious cleric, UmerSirhandi, one of the order of Ayub Jan Sirhandi is a central character here. He has links in false blasphemy accusations, the sped-up social media re-posts of threats, and is responsible in highlighting and maligning against law abiding citizens, and getting his men ready to charge and attack at any given time. He was also the one behind instigating a hateful campaign against a known Sindhi intellectual, Amar Jalil in 2021. In a similar fashion that resulted in the brutal murder of Dr. Shahnawaz, Sarhandihad announced a bounty over his Amar Jalil’shead. It was then when over 300 delegates of concerned intelligentsia, of which Chandio later spoke, went to Bilawal House to demand to take action against this increasing trend of the clerics, but they were provided with concrete assurances. It has also been disclosed at a public meeting, that the then Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah, on getting prompted by co-Chair of PPP, Bilawal Bhutto, told them that they’re unable to take action against the cleric, but will surely try to “manage” them.

“We believe that if the action had taken against Sarhandi back then, if the government had not remained criminally silent that allowed for their impunity, the incident in Umerkot would not have happened today”. Alerted, Chandio in his recent press statement.

It should not leave our memory that in 2019, on the instigation of another cleric, Mohammad IshaqNohri, in the same police jurisdiction, targeted a Hinduveterinary doctor in Mirpurkhas area under Sindhri police jurisdiction, by falsely accusing him of blasphemy and his shop along with others’ homes (of Hindu community) were ransacked, looted and then burnt. Minorities there, and in fact, anyone having good repute for running successful businesses and professions, are living under constant fear.Dr. Shahnawaz’s murder, which prompted the mass civil society movement in Sindh, also occurred in the same Sindhri police station jurisdiction.

All know what is happening, but all remain silent over this. If only there had been a strong political resistance to the growing menace of extremism, ordinary citizens would not have been feeling without any defence, or solidarity. The intelligentsia, the thinkers, the scientists, the artists, the teachers, the scholars and academics, the journalists, who have been promoting for communal harmony and democracy, uplifting of human rights and constitution, and advocated for long standing political resolutions over conflicts and called for progressive values through literature and education systems, appear to be mostly on target of these groups. What is most troubling is that, their targeting appear to be endorsed by state and calculatedly designed to undermine any essence of democracy here. Sanity is being brushed aside, pushed to the corner and people are left unrepresented. The only thing, that the state considers as its justification, is in placing more bans on speech and redefining “hate speech” that only relates to the interests of the state and its institutions, not its citizens and peoples’ rights. It will eventually backfire. Censorships and further whisking away the “voices” out of fear of violent extremist reaction only allowed for single narrative to take shape, and it is a very dangerous political precedent. A lack of acknowledgement of the wrong, the bias they develop towards others, and of denying the truth, even when it is glaringly visible for all of us, is what makes the world ugly.

This author strongly condemns state brutality against peaceful protestors in Sindh.

Zeeba T. Hashmi is an opinion writer and a researcher exploring themes of education that interconnect with issues of indoctrination, hate speech, knowledge barriers and politics on education. She runs her think tank, Ibtidah for Education.