خواجہ غلام فرید سائیں

عشق ہے ڈکھڑے دل دی شادی 

عشق ہے مرشد رہبر ہادی 

عشق ہے ساڈا پیر 

Police encounter of Malik Ishaq

Malik Ishaq, one of the most notorious sectarian killer our generation has seen has been killed in a police encounter along with two of his sons. He was allegedly involved in the killing of 100 to 115 people from his opponent religious sect ie Shi’ites. He spent many years in prison and was eventually released as nobody was ready to give any evidence against him. He was a leading a banned sectarian organisation with the name of Lashkar e Jhangvi. He was probably among the top two or three people who were involved in the most brutal religious sectarian killings..




He was always considered as politically close to PMLn and the political parties of the right of the political spectrum. One of the leader of PMLn, Rana SanaUllah, has direct contact with this group. He will also be getting stipend from Punjab government. In last few years since his release from the prison he was playing the role of a figurehead of a sectarian organisation with the name of ASWJ (Ahl Sunnat Wal Jammat). I don't think he was recently involved in direct extremists/sectarian killings. It's interesting to know that he was the person who was in prison when GHQ was attacked by the extremists. He was taken from a jail on a helicopter, brought to the GHQ, to negotiate a deal with the extremists who have taken hostage few of the army officers. He was also considered to be close to military establishment.



His shooting in a police encounter has come as somewhat of a surprise to many people who were not expecting this. The reason was that there is no direct clash between PMLn and ASWJ. ASW J is considered as close to PMLn politically and ideologically. So it was right not to expect this from PMLn lead Punjab government. But it was PMLn who in 1990s took a decisive step against the Sunni extremist groups and started eliminating their top leadership in allegedly fake police encounters. It was Sipah e Sahabah (the ideological mother organization of ASWJ). In the current given circumstances, I'm doubtful that it is the PMLn government policy to start a compaign against Sunni sectarian extremists. Can it be some more powerful Institutes in Pakistan who could do this without even asking permission from PMLn’s government? I think it's possible.



Whatever has been the cause of killing of Malik Ishaq it would be interesting to see how the future turns out to be. PMLn is in a difficult position as it cannot go head on to clash with the ASWJ. If this is the powerful institutes in Pakistan who has decided to go against the Sunni extremist groups (ASWJ) without the permission of PMLn then it will put PMLn in a very awkward position. Is this the same thing what happening in Sindh where Rangers are doing what they think is right, without even any consent from Sindh Government. I'm not sure but I feel this is what probably starting to happen in Punjab.

5th July and Pakistan Peoples party

July 5 1977 is probably the most important date in the political history of Pakistan when a military dictator taken over the government of the first ever elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. Even today there is a continous struggle between the politicians and the almighty military regime in Pakistan. It was a day when our socialist liberal politician and his government was sacked by a religious, regressive and a brutal military dictator. I was not born then, I was the first generation who started  life under the military regime. My generation grew up in the dark shadows of an oppressive dictator. Zia Al-Haq became  the most powerful military dictator in the region.

This marks the watershed moment in the history of Pakistan when Pakistan started to be turned into a religious intolerant regressive country. It once used to be a very vibrant multicultural pluralistic society. Zia Al-Haq started changing almost every thread in the fabric of the Pakistani society. He was the most potent person to drag religion into every sphere of  Pakistani society to a level which at times appears pathological. Zia Al-Haq was basically the ideological forefather of almost all of the religious fanatics we see around today. From changing school curriculum to inducting people with the skewed politico-religious ideology into government jobs, from crushing the students and trade unions to spreading the madrissas to create religious monsters were the nasty steps done. We all are paying price of those.

Apart from tempering with the socio-cultural fabric of our society Zia went all guns blazing to crush Pakistan peoples party. He hanged its more prolific leader. Its members and activists were hunt down and punished. Public hangings, open floggings, political prisoners put in jails , exiles, destruction of family and economic's of the members of Pakistan People's party was the cruel things done by Zia. In 11 years of his government thousands of Pakistan Peoples Party workers were killed exiled or tortured. Benazir Bhutto and her mother were also tortured and exiled. Shahnawaz, the younger son of Bhutto, was allegedly killed by the regime. Military operation was conducted in interior Sindh against MRD (movement for restoration of democracy) workers. Scores were killed or punished under the notorious military martial law courts. 

Pakistan Peoples Party now again stands on across road. It need to reflect on its current problems, need to learn from past and implement changes for its future. In recent days we have noted that many winnable candidates are leaving People's Party and joining other political parties. I have also read few columns in the newspaper declaring the political death of Pakistan Peoples party. How a political party which survived in opposition against the most cruel of military dictators in the history Pakistan now sadly find itself in trouble baffles most of us. I think its leaders really need to think why so many people who once had very strong faith in this progressive, pluralistic, liberal, socialist political party are now looking towards others.