Beware the ghosts of the past

Sir, It is our belief as Muslims about the authenticity of what is meant about the famous quote of Hazrat Ali Ibn Talib that “A State can exist without religion, but not without justice”. While the ghost of Zia haunts this country, where believers and followers of Holy Prophet Muhammad PBUH, each reciting the Kalima, are brainwashed, murdering each other. Even in the Holy Month of Ramadan Kareem, terrorists are indulging in mayhem like the recent attack in Quetta. While it is the sole jurisdiction of Almighty Allah SWT, to decide who will go to heaven or hell, there are few who dare to defy this Divine Jurisdiction. Fatwas are being given inciting Muslims to damage private and public property, creating hurdles for ambulances and Oxygen tankers to pass through, resulting in the death of many innocent human beings. While all this was happening the State remained absent, choosing not to exercise its Writ and protect constitutional rights of citizens. One only hopes that the ghost of Justice Munir does not haunt the corridors of our judiciary, who have taken an oath to protect and uphold the sanctity of the Constitution. Justice Munir must have been subjected to tremendous pressure and threats by the likes of Ayub or Iskandar Mirza, but he was required to withstand these and deliver judgment based on Laws and not the Doctrine of Necessity. Munir stands condemned in history and so are those who were instrumental in reducing Quaid’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state, into the mess that we are witnessing. Pakistan has suffered enough and we must ensure that Justice is seen to be delivered and MAJ’s vision implemented, instead of the whims of visionless men blinded by greed and vested interests.

Malik T Ali

Lahore