FOR GOD`SAKE, DEMONSTRATE SERIOUSNESS!

 

The “debut” of the Muhajir Republic Army” took place when the Attorney General of Pakistan submitted a report on behalf of the Federal Interior Ministry to the Supreme Court. In the report, the Attorney-General Munir A Malik used the term ‘Muhajir Republican Army’ for a shadowy group that was believed to be involved in spreading violence in Karachi. The report called for action against members of the group when they were identified.

As soon as the news channel broke this news of such a report, the political analysts and anchorpersons started giving their reactions on it differently. However, the most relevant reaction was from the MQM`s Quaid Mr. Altaf Hussain. He called the idea of a ‘Muhajir Republican Army’ another malicious gaffe after the so-called ‘Jinnah pur’ conspiracy. He called upon the Chief Justice to launch an impartial investigation regarding the mischief-makers behind this ‘army’.

Obviously, it was really surprising to first time hear about a group, as per the report, named as “Muhajir Republic Army” that was believed to be involved in the violence of Karachi. To tell the truth, not speaking of naming such a group in any report, this term had never been used even in an allegation by anyone. More importantly, the Sindh Police officials expressed their surprise on it and denied to have come across any criminal who turned out to be a group member of so-called Muhajir Republic Army. The most surprising element of this report came up before the people of Pakistan when The government on Friday withdrew its written reply from the Supreme Court on Friday when Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan claimed that the report was not ‘perfect. However, he claimed that yet the report was based on facts.

Despite so much confusion even among the people who introduced “Muhajir Rebulic Army”, almost all the News channels and news papers had made it the hottest topic of the town. Some of them were giving their “expert”opinions as if they had already done a thesis on this group. The question is, is it sensible to beat the drum of the still intangible and invisible dream army that can question the patriotism of a specific community and its representative party??   

A couple of weeks ago, the various journalist`s organization staged protests on the case registered against ARY News on airing the video of burning the Ziarat Residency. The Balochistan Police had registered a case (which, later on, had to be taken back on the pressure of the media) under the Anti-Terrorist Act of 1997 against the chief executive of ARY News, and some other employees. The Balochistan government had alleged in the FIR that ARY News, in its current affairs program, ran “objectionable video clips” released by an outlawed outfit about the destruction of Ziarat Residency after an attack in June. The department called for legal action against the channel.

Not only this, even before the Balochistan government, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken a suo moto notice on the same ARY`s program stating that it was a violation of the provisions of the Constitution. He also expressed his displeasure saying, “For God sake, demonstrate seriousness”.

The question is, why was the case registered against ARY especially under the Anti-Terrorist Act? In fact, whatever was telecast by ARY not only was based on the facts, but also some of its parts had already been aired almost by all the news channels immediately after the burning of the Ziarat Residency, then how could the re-telecasting of the same have been termed as an act of terrorism? Moreover, the main objective of telecasting that video was to reveal that the Ziarat Residency was exploded from within as the terrorists of BLA were carrying gas cylinders, after the claims made by the security agencies that the Ziarat Residency was attacked by the terrorists with rockets fired/bombs, etc. Thus, the question is, is it an act of terrorism to bring to light the reality before the common people? Is the ill-doer “Balochistan Liberation Army” not proudly claiming to have caused the national tragedy of Pakistan? On top of it, can what the ARY aired about the incident of the Ziyarat Residency be denied anyway? When no, then what to accuse ARY of doing?

However, as per the Article 19A of the Constitution, every citizen shall have the right to have access to information in all matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law. Similarly, the Article 19 of the Constitution provides that: “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, commission of or incitement to an offence.” Similarly, the Section 11-W of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 also puts restrictions on dissemination of objectionable material and the same is made punishable offence.

The question is, if bringing to light the reality to the general public can be considered as the violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act, then what about introducing the new myth, i.e., “Muhajir Republic Army” which, by now, has no concrete evidence or proof about its existence? When telecasting a factually based video can seem, even as per the understanding of the Chief Justice of Supreme Court Of Pakistan, to be the material as an infringement of the provisions of the Constitution, then why not the malicious act of relating a shadowy group (Muhajir Republic Army) to the most patriotic community of the country? Should such an act of the Interior Ministry not be declared as an extremely condemn able act of inciting ethnic hatred and giving projection to militancy in the county? Why is the propagation of an still invisible and physically non-existing “ghost army” not being considered as contrary to the provisions of section 11-W of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 that says,

“A person commits an offence if he prints, publishes or disseminates any material, whether by audio or video-cassettes or by written, photographic, electronic, digital, wall-chalking or any other method which incites religious, sectarian or ethnic hatred or gives projection to any person convicted for a terrorist act, or any person or organization concerned in terrorism or proscribed organization or an organization placed under observation”?

The question is, will such a double standard of the Pakistani Institutions ever help to promote unity in the country where there are already so many differences among different ethnic communities? Specially, in the situation where the Urdu speaking community and its representative party MQM had already become the victim of the political as well as ethnic victimization on the basis of a similar myth of “Jinnah Pur”, will the repetition of the past not be a deliberate attempt to force the victims to eventually adopt these myths?? If the Supreme Court does not take notice of these conspiracies and fails to provide justice, who else will do that? “For God`s sake, demonstrate seriousness!”