ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist
Asma Jahangir has called for a probe by a parliamentary committee to
ascertain as to who was behind the recent Faizabad sit-in and from where
a new lot came despite a successful operation against religious
activists.
Speaking at a press conference after a
meeting organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at a
hotel here on Saturday, she said: “We don’t want a judicial commission
on it and demand that only a parliamentary committee should investigate
the matter.”
The HRCP meeting was held to finalise
recommendations on possible strategies to protect places of religious
significance against faith-based violence.
“We need to
know how the army became a guarantor during the agreement between the
government and protesters. Why money was distributed among the
protesters,” she said. “The parliamentary committee should see how
people reached Islamabad and who brought them,” she said.
On
Nov 25, an operation was started by thousands of personnel of law
enforcement agencies against the activists of a religious group who were
demanding resignation of then law minister Zahid Hamid. Police removed
the protesters in the morning, but later a new lot reached there and
occupied the Faizabad interchange.
Ms Jahangir claimed
that every department and institution, such as the opposition, economics
and Foreign Office, were being influenced by the same people who were
playing a role in issues of Balochistan and Fata. “The government and
civil society have become hostage,” she said, adding: “Militarisation of
politics has been started in Pakistan.”
The lawyer said
that by the Faizabad sit-in a message had been conveyed that the powers
that be had every kind of groups for waging proxy wars. “It has
politicians, lawyers and even those groups who can do politics in the
name of religion. Unfortunately political parties have surrendered.”
The
rights activist claimed that even on the issue of Fata reforms, the
same powerful people had taken a lead role. “If politicians cannot
control the situation, they should call out the masses,” she suggested.
While
talking about a negative impact on society because of such
interference, she said that religious intolerance had been increasing,
especially after the Faizabad sit-in, as now people had been deciding
who was a good Muslim and who was not.
Ms Jahangir said
the civil society had taken an initiative in Karachi and started a
signature campaign for rights, but political parties had surrendered and
some of the politicians had admitted that in parliament things were
controlled. “A charter of civil society will be made after consultation
with the media, chambers of commerce and other stakeholders,” she said.
“Pakistan
can develop only under a democratic system. Moreover, the judiciary
should give justice rather than becoming involved in political balancing
acts. The judiciary should not look at political cases in a political
way,” Ms Jahangir said.
In reply to a question, she said
‘encroachments’ would not be accepted without resistance because
whenever a dictatorship came in Pakistan it took 20 years to bring the
country back on track. Even in parliament there was censorship and
politicians faced threats, she regretted.
“We have also
requested politicians to speak up, but we cannot keep silent just
because they are not ready to speak against those who are hatching
conspiracies,” she said.
In reply to a question that the
PPP, PTI and PSP had been showing solidarity with Dr Tahirul Qadri and
he might hold a sit-in in Islamabad, Ms Jahangir said that Mr Qadri had
become Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan.
“Politicians should draw a red line and need to understand what is right and what is wrong,” she said.
Renowned
rights activist I.A. Rehman said that civil society wanted that all
political parties should sit together and give a message to all
institutions that they should work in their domain. “No one has the
right to encroach upon the domain of other department. The executive
cannot look into the affairs of the judiciary and the judiciary should
not look into the issues of the executive,” he said.
“I
suggest that all political parties should play their collective role for
democracy and if there is any hurdle or difference of opinion, civil
society can provide them a platform,” he said.
