By Afshain Afzal

Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is on visit at Islamabad to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart. According to unofficial reports from concerned quarters in New Delhi, India intends to build pressure on Pakistan regarding Mumbai Attacks and the boat controversy”. Islamabad has already stated that its boats were not involved in the incident. On the other hand, Pakistan is demanding report containing details of 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing that killed 68 people, mostly Pakistanis but New Delhi is not ready to talk on the issues. It is on record that personnel Indian Military Intelligence were caught red-handed in terrorist activities like Malegaon, Nanded and Samjhaota Express blasts but neither the Indian military officers involved in these attacks are being punished nor Pakistan is being shared the details of the investigation reports.

Interestingly, as regard to Mumbai attacks, the trial court had granted bail to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, suspect of the 2008 Mumbai attack on 18 December 2014, but due to strong reaction from India, US and other Western countries against the bail order, he was detained the next day under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). Recently, Islamabad High Court, on 14 January, transferred the case involving seven suspects namely Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum from ATC (I) to the recently established ATC (II) for unrecorded reasons. The newly established Anti-terrorism court had issued summons to four official witnesses for the hearing on 25 February 2015 and the case is in progress.

In another latest development, the Khyber PK government has shortlisted 423 cases to be tried in the newly established military courts. The list includes names of Maulana Sufi Muhammad of Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) and Maulana Fazlullah of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Maulana Sufi Muhammad has been booked in Anti-Terrorism Court against whom 13 cases were registered but he has been acquitted in 10 cases while three are pending. Presently, he is accused of delivering a speech at the Timergara Rest House, in Lower Dir district, in 2009, in which he dubbed the then elected government as un-Islamic. The hearing of the charges against Sufi Muhammad formally began on 21 February 2015. Similar shortlisted cases have been issued / being prepared by the governments of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan.

There are new proposals that the viewpoints of groups that have direct or indirect links with banned organizations in Pakistan should be blocked. However, this is against the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution. In fact, to fights against the ills in our society, especially against injustice, corruption and terrorism, authorities must review the list of banned outfits so that all the people of Pakistan take part in mainstream nation building to strengthen the country. To the point to stress is that we must look for alternatives and unless all stakeholders, including the banned groups are not taken into confidence by allowing them to speak to the Pakistani masses to clear their position, this blame game will continue and would only and only provide opportunities to our enemies and groups in neighbourhood to exploit the situation and increase their adverse activities.

If we recall, on 15th August 1947, the historic partition from predominantly Hindu India led to the establishment of the North Western and Eastern Muslim majority areas to implement Islamic system in newly founded Pakistan. However, the death of Governor General of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Quaid-e-Azam in September 1948, provided an opportunity to fifth columnists and enemy agents to sow seeds provincialism and secularism to disintegrate Pakistan, in order to neutralize the mission of real Pakistan. The Objective Resolution of March 1949 and the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973 saved Pakistan from being hijacked by anti-state and terrorist elements. The same anti-state and terrorist elements have mustered up their courage, collected sufficient funds and made breaches in the system to achieve their hidden designs of enforcing secularism through terrorism and other coercive means.

Today, the whole nation is on one platform to eliminate the terrorists and terrorism but the question is how? There can be no doubt that secular forces are preventing implementation of Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973. These elements with the support of enemies and anti-Islam forces are trying to prove that forces behind the implementation of the constitution are terrorists. The authorities in Pakistan must not bow before Indian and western pressures and give a chance to all school of thoughts including orthodox Muslims who are being dubbed as extremists, the seculars, the minorities and other groups to express their view point in public, so that the nation and the authorities are on one grid to wipe out terrorists and enforce writ of the government. afshain@hotmail.com