The gruesome killing of Mashal Khan in mob violence has shocked all those who believe in tolerance, moderation and the rule of law. The lynching of 23-year-old student of journalism at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, on suspicion of blasphemous expression, has excruciatingly exposed troubles that plague the Pakistani society, especially because the heart-rending murder took place at a place of learning.
Notwithstanding widespread condemnations from the government, political and some religious leaders, the brutal killing of Mashal Khan demands national accountability, moral introspection, court justice and a range of stern governance measures to curb any repeat of such extremist violence and terror.
First and foremost, Pakistan needs to be clear about dangers of the misuse of the blasphemy law. Anyone can exploit the law, and victimize the accused to settle scores. Is there strict enough punishment for false accusers, and how many faultfinders have ever been punished? According to reports, there have been 65 incidents of killings under suspicion of blasphemy since 1990s. Pakistani Christians have also been at the receiving end, when it comes to abuse of the law. How many more deaths will be required before Pakistani governing elites have the courage to fix the issue?
While religious clerics have taken the issue of blasphemy to a precarious pitch, leaving no scope for mercy and forgiveness to come into play, in contradiction of Islamic teachings, the Pakistani state and the government too must share the blame. Recently, the Pakistani government catapulted the issue of blasphemy to forefront of the national discourse when it appeared to be making political points by issuing a series of statements on fixing instances of blasphemy on the social media platforms. The Pakistani security apparatus also fueled the general climate of intolerance by accusing bloggers – who were secretly interrogated – of committing blasphemy.
All responsible citizens agree that nobody and no organization or group should insult holy figures and symbols of any religion but political and religious leaders must deal with the issue in a manner that defeats extremist thinking, and not inflame religious sentiments and incite violence.
Then there is the question of woeful lack of governance on the issue. The courts and the law enforcement must deal strictly with those who take the law into their hands and act as vigilantes outside of the state institutions.
The Pakistani society must introspect soberly on the extrajudicial killings. What is it that Islam, which means peace, and Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, emphasized – love, forgiveness, tolerance and peace or the opposite?
In Mashal Khan’s case, amidst unprecedented media focus the Supreme Court has taken a suo moto notice, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PTI Chief Imran Khan have strongly condemned the killing, Police have opened a hate probe against clerics who tried to disrupt the funeral prayers of the victim, and arrested a number of students and staff of the university.
But there is one culprit in this episode that must be vigorously investigated and exposed – the university staff that posted a few hours before lynching of Mashal Khan that it was probing blasphemous conduct of three students. Secondly video evidence suggests the university employees were among those who lynched Mashal Khan. An institution of higher education is supposed to be a place for enlightenment, not fanaticism or radicalism.
The culprits behind the brutal murder must be punished if Pakistani society is to come out of this self-inflicting pattern of mob violence and lynching that cast a dark shadow on progress of the society.
