So We Will Face More “Mumtaz Qadri`s” In The Days To Come?

Legally, it was the burial of a convicted killer who was hanged after a judicial trial from the lower court to the Supreme Court, but the religious leaders and their groups turned it into the funeral of a saint. Question is, when the courts of Islamic Republic of Pakistan had convicted him of the murder in the light of the undeniable evidences and witnesses and also he had himself publicly owned his crime, why was he declared ”Shaheed” martyr?

His sympathizers, mainly belonging to religious and sectarian-based groups, claim that Mumtaz Qadri performed his duty as Salman Taseer had caused disrespect to the last Prophet (PBUH). “Therefore, it was religiously wrong to hang a man like him”, they argue.

It should be kept in mind that the former Governor Punjab Salman Taseer was accused of having insulted the last Prophet (PBUH) just because he criticized the blasphemy law over its misuse especially against Christians and Ahemadis. Question is, can a law (including this one) not be criticized and demanded to be amended in Pakistan? 

We should not forget that all the Pakistani laws are drafted, presented, debated and approved (after hearing for and against arguments) by human beings (parliamentarians) (who are sometimes termed as corrupt politicians). Even the present Constitution of Pakistan, which is the considered as the mother of all laws, was finalized the same way. Furthermore, it is (till date) the third Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and that too was amended several times.

More interestingly, Pakistan initially inherited the blasphemy law from the India`s British rules of 1860 which later on expanded in 1927. Then after the independence, between 1980 and 1986, several clauses were added to the laws in the process of his “Islamicisation” by a military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq who unconstitutionally took over the country. Keeping in view all these facts, should the present blasphemy law be considered as sacred as the holy Quran??  

It is fact that the blasphemy law was passed to deal with the cases under which one is accused of having caused a sort of disrespect to the last prophet (PBUH), Quran and Islam. Therefore, like all the other laws of the country, it had to be decided by the judges if the “crime” (alleged insult) had really taken place. If yes, was the same accused the real culprit? If yes too, did he commit the “crime” intentionally or it was done inadvertently. The answers to these basic questions, supported by concrete evidence as well reliable witnesses, would have determined the nature of punishment to the accused. On top of all, there would be no one else except the relevant judge(s) who had to make decisions for the case accordingly.

Taking into account all these facts, question is had all these requirements of the said law been fulfilled BEFORE giving the maxim punishment to (Salman Taseer)? Even if we jump into the conclusion that the accused had really disrespected the last Prophet (PBUH), did Mumtaz Qadri have the authority to punish him anyway? When no, can such a “punishment” be justified religiously especially in the light of the same “holy” law of blasphemy?

As a matter of facts, when people begin to settle their cases by themselves, there is no importance remaining in the laws passed to deal with these matters. In the Salman Taseer case too, Mumtaz Qadri himself convicted the accused, determined the nature of punishment and executed it without paying a heed to what the “sacred” law was requiring in that regard. Then, through such an act, did Qadri not cause a disrespect to the blasphemy law?

Yes, it could be called the act of an individual, but what about the endorsement of the same by different religious scholars, party heads, lawyers and some journalists who declared him a martyr “Shaheed”? Now in the scenario where Mumtaz Qadri has been declared as a martyr especially by several religious scholars, then what is the position of all those people who were involved (from arrest to the execution) in his hanging? Will they also be targeted one by one by under the charge of “causing an insult” to the last Prophet (PBUH) like Salman Taseer and Shehbaz Bhatti?? Will justifying Mumtz Qadri`s act of murder, not encourage people, especially youth, to similarly treat anyone who, as per their understanding, seems to have violated the “holy” law?

It is an open secret that Pakistan has been badly affected by the violence in the name of sect and religion. Thousands of people have already lost their loved ones because of the same reason. Pakistan Muslims (including Barelvis, Deobandis, Shias and Ahle-Hadice, all) had to pay the same price of the religious extremism in the country as the Christians and Ahmedis did.

Therefore, in the prevailing situation where especially the religious leaders need to perform more efforts in order to stop the evil game, will supporting Mumtaz Qadri`s act of taking law in hands, not add fuel to the ongoing war like situation in the society? More importantly, with backing up his act religiously, can any of their appeals for peace really work to pacify the increasing tension among the religious and sectarian communities of the society? When no, then who would be held responsible if more “Mumtaz Qadris” come up to perform the same kind of “religious duty” in the days to come?