Dear Imran Khan, if you want justice for Mashal, then start with your councillor, Arif Mardan
Imran Khan visited the parents of the slain student Mashal Khan,
who was lynched for reasons which will perhaps never be known.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Imran Khan visiting the
parents of the slain student Mashal Khan, who was lynched for reasons which will
perhaps never be known.
1. This morning I condoled with Mashal's family and was moved by
their amazing courage and dignity
So congratulations, Mr Imran, you knew that you would offend
your coalition partners, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), in the
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government by openly condemning the brutal murder of
the innocent student. Even your chief minister, Pervez Khattak, said that there was no
written or verbal proof of him committing blasphemy. But you, Sir, displayed
exemplary courage by visiting and sympathising with the bereaved family. You
even deserve commendation for stating that you would ensure no one is allowed to wrongly accuse or
kill anyone over blasphemy charges in the future, and that those responsible
for Khan’s murder will be given exemplary punishment.
Brave words,
Mr Imran, and kudos to you for ignoring the danger to your government
and to yourself by openly siding with the silent majority of this country.
Dear Imran, I have spent a considerable amount of time in K-P,
and have realised that the people in your province are intolerant and easily
inflamed when they hear someone say anything even remotely critical of their
cherished beliefs. During my visit to K-P in 1996, I remember I once heard a
preacher in Mardan stating that all unveiled women should be kidnapped and
brought to him, and he would then arrange for each of the kidnappers to marry
these unveiled women. Then there are those who openly
preach hate speech in
K-P’s mosques and madrassas, as a result of which we have seen so many
bomb blasts and killings in Charsadda and Parachinar.
So, Mr Khan, I would like to point out to you that while you
were condoling Khan’s parents and family members, your own party’s councillor, Arif Mardan, was seen celebrating Khan’s brutal murder
and pledging that he and his supporters, who are alleged
witnesses, would never reveal the name of Khan’s shooter. This can be
seen in a video which has been making rounds today.
So while I heartily support you
for finally speaking your mind, I have a few suggestions for you which
can, at the very least, help you in taking the first steps to reducing
extremism and obscurantism in your province.
For starters, please expel Arif
Mardan from your party immediately, for openly celebrating Khan’s murder and
proclaiming that the person who discloses the shooter’s name would be guilty of
apostasy. In today’s press conference, you said,
“No matter which party the
suspects belong to, they will be punished. We will make sure those involved in
the murder and those who conspired against Mashal will be held accountable and
it will become an example in Pakistan. Those involved in the killing and the
conspiracy need to be exposed. Mashal was killed on the pretext and under the
garb of blasphemy. Even animals don’t behave this way. I will ensure justice
for Mashal’s death.”
Perhaps you
can set an example by starting with members of your own party.
Secondly, you need to arrange strict monitoring of sermons
delivered in all mosques in your province, and immediately arrest any preacher
or cleric stating that those suspected or accused of indulging in blasphemy
should be killed. Similarly, any mullah preaching hate
speech against minorities and
unveiled women should be tried swiftly in an anti-terrorism court and sentenced
accordingly.
Furthermore, as per rumours on
Twitter, your coalition partners have allegedly sent their representatives to
ensure that those arrested for Khan’s murder be released immediately.
clergy form an alliance, ShujaUl mulk GS JUI,Ji leaders,ex
deputy speaker Ikram shahid part of meeting demands release of Mashal murderer
If true, please clarify your stance on the matter to your
coalition party that you will not tolerate this kind of behaviour, and if they
don’t agree, ask them to resign
from your government.
Mr Imran, you have no idea how
upset your followers have been in the recent past due to your pandering of
those who want to take Pakistan back to the Stone Age. Please stick to your
principles, Sir, and do not think that you will lose the upcoming elections if
you follow your liberal views; you would be surprised at the appreciation and
admiration it will garner. Speak up for those who are in danger of being killed
just because their views are different from the beliefs of those who
barbarically and brutally murdered Mashal Khan in cold blood.
I, along with majority of the
country, pray that you succeed!
Shakir Lakhani
Engineer, former visiting lecturer at NED Engineering College,
industrialist, associated with petroleum/chemical industries for many years.
Loves writing, and (in the opinion of most of those who know him), mentally
unbalanced. He tweets @shakirlakhani (twitter.com/shakirlakhani)
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/48902/dear-imran-khan-if-you-want-justice-for-mashal-then-start-with-your-councillor-arif-mardan/
Imran Khan visited the parents of the slain student Mashal Khan,
who was lynched for reasons which will perhaps never be known.
1. This morning I condoled with Mashal's family and was moved by
their amazing courage and dignity
So congratulations, Mr Imran, you knew that you would offend
your coalition partners, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), in the
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government by openly condemning the brutal murder of
the innocent student. Even your chief minister, Pervez Khattak, said that there was no
written or verbal proof of him committing blasphemy. But you, Sir, displayed
exemplary courage by visiting and sympathising with the bereaved family. You
even deserve commendation for stating that you would ensure no one is allowed to wrongly accuse or
kill anyone over blasphemy charges in the future, and that those responsible
for Khan’s murder will be given exemplary punishment.
Brave words,
Mr Imran, and kudos to you for ignoring the danger to your government
and to yourself by openly siding with the silent majority of this country.
Dear Imran, I have spent a considerable amount of time in K-P,
and have realised that the people in your province are intolerant and easily
inflamed when they hear someone say anything even remotely critical of their
cherished beliefs. During my visit to K-P in 1996, I remember I once heard a
preacher in Mardan stating that all unveiled women should be kidnapped and
brought to him, and he would then arrange for each of the kidnappers to marry
these unveiled women. Then there are those who openly
preach hate speech in
K-P’s mosques and madrassas, as a result of which we have seen so many
bomb blasts and killings in Charsadda and Parachinar.
So, Mr Khan, I would like to point out to you that while you
were condoling Khan’s parents and family members, your own party’s councillor, Arif Mardan, was seen celebrating Khan’s brutal murder
and pledging that he and his supporters, who are alleged
witnesses, would never reveal the name of Khan’s shooter. This can be
seen in a video which has been making rounds today.
So while I heartily support you
for finally speaking your mind, I have a few suggestions for you which
can, at the very least, help you in taking the first steps to reducing
extremism and obscurantism in your province.
For starters, please expel Arif
Mardan from your party immediately, for openly celebrating Khan’s murder and
proclaiming that the person who discloses the shooter’s name would be guilty of
apostasy. In today’s press conference, you said,
“No matter which party the
suspects belong to, they will be punished. We will make sure those involved in
the murder and those who conspired against Mashal will be held accountable and
it will become an example in Pakistan. Those involved in the killing and the
conspiracy need to be exposed. Mashal was killed on the pretext and under the
garb of blasphemy. Even animals don’t behave this way. I will ensure justice
for Mashal’s death.”
Perhaps you
can set an example by starting with members of your own party.
Secondly, you need to arrange strict monitoring of sermons
delivered in all mosques in your province, and immediately arrest any preacher
or cleric stating that those suspected or accused of indulging in blasphemy
should be killed. Similarly, any mullah preaching hate
speech against minorities and
unveiled women should be tried swiftly in an anti-terrorism court and sentenced
accordingly.
Furthermore, as per rumours on
Twitter, your coalition partners have allegedly sent their representatives to
ensure that those arrested for Khan’s murder be released immediately.
clergy form an alliance, ShujaUl mulk GS JUI,Ji leaders,ex
deputy speaker Ikram shahid part of meeting demands release of Mashal murderer
If true, please clarify your stance on the matter to your
coalition party that you will not tolerate this kind of behaviour, and if they
don’t agree, ask them to resign
from your government.
Mr Imran, you have no idea how
upset your followers have been in the recent past due to your pandering of
those who want to take Pakistan back to the Stone Age. Please stick to your
principles, Sir, and do not think that you will lose the upcoming elections if
you follow your liberal views; you would be surprised at the appreciation and
admiration it will garner. Speak up for those who are in danger of being killed
just because their views are different from the beliefs of those who
barbarically and brutally murdered Mashal Khan in cold blood.
I, along with majority of the
country, pray that you succeed!
Shakir Lakhani
Engineer, former visiting lecturer at NED Engineering College,
industrialist, associated with petroleum/chemical industries for many years.
Loves writing, and (in the opinion of most of those who know him), mentally
unbalanced. He tweets @shakirlakhani (twitter.com/shakirlakhani)
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/48902/dear-imran-khan-if-you-want-justice-for-mashal-then-start-with-your-councillor-arif-mardan/
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