Tehreek-E-Taliban and Al-Queida have virtually held Pakistan to ransom. Within two months of assassination of Punjab Governor and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Salman Taseer the terrorists have struck again. This time the victim was Pakistan’s Minister for Minority Affairs and Pakistan Peoples’ Party leader Shahabaz Bhatti, 42, a Christian, by three unidentified assailants while coming after meeting his mother. While visiting his mother, he never allowed security men to be with him, the prime reason being he was nervous about the presence of security guards after his colleague Salman Taseer was gunned down by his own security Ali Mumtaz Khadri.
The reason behind murdering both is the same, that of their antagonistic attitude towards blasphemy laws. There are several others who are on the watchlist of Tehreek-E-Taliban elements in Pakistan who have spoken against blasphemy laws. Sherry Rehman, Pakistan Peoples’ Party legislator is one among them.
Pakistan actually is in doldrum’s with hard-core terrorists running helter-skelter. And Pakistan govt in fact remains a mute spectator to the mayhem these terror elements commit. It is a kind of implosion in other words. Wherever and whoever the terrorists aim at, they commit the brutal acts with utmost precision.
Pak democracy is being replaced by Islamic fundamentalism. Mumtaz Khadri who assassinated Salman Taseer was showered with rose petals by the advocates of blasphemy laws and he is now celebrated as a hero by majority in Pakistan.
Not only Pakistan remains shell-shocked but the entire world writhing in anger since it is a violation of human rights.
Pakistan’s Human Rights activists have condemned the act in the strongest terms possible. Similarly Human Rights watch and Amnesty International too have joined hands with Pakistan’s human rights activists in condemning the violent act.
Shahabaz Bhatti, a Christian by birth had in fact apprehended a certain violent death at the hands of terror elements for holding anti-blasphemy laws. He was always under the watch-list of terrorists which he knew, but he continued to speak out fearlessly for the cause of minorities of Pakistan. In fact with his murder, the minorities are like a rudderless boat, in Pakistan and they apprehend more trouble. The one who always stood as a vanguard is no more and it is quite natural that they suffer from kind of existential angst.
It is worth pointing out here that apprehending death at the hands of Islamist terrorist he had handed over two tapes containing his messages to be aired both to BBC and Al-Jazeera and the contents have now come out.
Pakistan is our neighbouring country. Let’s forget the term traditional enemy. Now is the time to extend our sympathies to that nation which is virtually in the grip of hard-core terror elements.
Before totally falling into the hands of Islamist militants, it is in our interest to see that democracy flourishes in Pakistan.
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