Why is the Government Dithering When it Should Stand Firm?

The two thorns in the side of the government these days are the never ending Jamia Hafsa stalemate and the judicial crisis. The manner in which the government has been responding to the Jamia Hafsa issue clearly suggests that it is not very interested in solving the matter any time soon.

Some say that the Hafsa issue is somewhat a diversion from the other crisis that is plaguing the country. There are many who argue that the Hafsa episode is a stunt of the government to draw attention to growing extremism in the country. The question others are asking, which is more worrisome is, what if it is not?

The country continues to be driven by rumours and half-truths. This week former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto announced that she was willing to work a deal with President Musharraf. This set of a series of speculations of a possible Prime Minister from Ms Bhutto’s party in the post 2007 elections.

The only thing that we know so far about the 2007 elections is the President Musharraf will stay president. And that he will be elected by the present assembly. Or at least this is what analysts are suggesting.

Till that happens, however, the government needs to sort out some other issues that seem to be never ending. The judicial crisis has developed a life of its own. Acting Chief Justice Rana Bhagwandas has assured some good news in the near future. The question that many are asking is, good news for whom?

On the external front there is tension. As things stand, our relations with the US are not getting any better. The President is angry, and some say rightly so, over the constant needling over not doing enough in the fight against terror.

Every other day there is a report from one quarter or another that throws more light on something that the government is supposed to do and did not. The latest has been the “new and updated” Congressional Research Service report which has said that the outcomes of the Bush administration policies towards Pakistan “while not devoid of meaningful successes have neither neutralized anti-Western militants not reduced religious extremism in that country.”

One does not have to read a research report to understand why this is so. But expecting the Musharraf government to work towards these targets and give results in the short term is expecting too much. This is a government that is still to start any meaningful Madrassah reform. It is also the government that easily gives in to the slightest demands on unrepresentative religious outfits like the Hafsa brigade. We are about to witnesses another historic u-turn on the Hafsa issue. Mandating Chaudhry Shujaat Husain as the point man for talks with the Lal Masjid and Hafsa brigade means that not only will the government give in but also possibly even end up giving more to the zealots.

This has been his record in the past. Whether on the issue of the religious column in the passport or other matters where the government was expected to take a stand, the strong man of the PML dithered. And then we ask why the religious zealots are becoming bolder.

The statement of the week comes from our PM. This week, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz stated that the government wanted to resolve the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa issue through negotiations but reiterated, “there would be no compromise on the writ of the government.” Why do we need to negotiate with people who encroach on public land, kidnap public officials and challenge the writ of the state?

Amidst all this, we are expected by the US to reduce religious extremism. Only this week, yet another Taliban like raid was conducted on the outskirts of Islamabad where militants raided a video shop and burnt CDs and video cassettes. The local police at Bara Kahu watched helplessly.

Further north, militants of Lashkar-e-Islami took control of most of the areas of Bara sub-division of Khyber agency, limiting the writ of the political administration to only the Bara Bazaar. In response, the government through the political administration dynamited the headquarters of the Lashkar.

If there is something to be gauged here, it is the growing confidence of the extremists and their supporters. And also their repeated attempts to take control parts of the country - even challenging the centre through their activities in Islamabad. The only person to call a spade by its name has been Altaf Hussain, leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, who told a Karachi rally that the Lal Masjid and the Jamia Hafsa must be vacated.

It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan is passing through a critical phase. With religious extremists openly challenging the writ of the state, and despite overwhelming public demands that this be stopped, the government seems to be giving in. This is most worrisome.