Editorial
By: Dr. Basharat Elahi Jamil
The establishment has used politicians and extremist groups to carry out its plans in Pakistan since the country’s founding, ostensibly out of self-interest. The establishment uses the so-called politicians in powerful positions to further its evil agendas. In the past, neither the political elite nor the establishment in Pakistan have prioritized the social, political, or economic concerns of Pakistanis. Furthermore, the Establishment frequently attempted to manipulate the situation to fit their own agendas under the pretence of the nation’s political, economic, and social decline.
The establishment has consistently backed and reinforced a specific political status quo, extremist factions, and Islamist groups, thereafter eliminating or prohibiting them after attaining their respective objectives. In recent past TLP also faced the similar end. TLP is an extreme Islamist group that was founded following the execution of Governor Suleman Tasir’s fanatic killer, Malik Mumtaz Qadari. Whiz, TLP has always fantasized of an extreme and violent ideology; in 2016, they entered politics as well. Through the Khatm-i-Nabuwat slogan, they made sure to gain public support and secured fourth place with two million votes in the 2018 elections.
After the death of Khadim Rizvi the founder of TLP, his son Saad Rizvi took over the Party. His violent acts in the name of religion have kept him in the news, and as a result, TLP’s operations and finances are still under scrutiny. They targeted the gullible and naive, using them as a means of feeding the radicalized version of a particular ideology. Additionally, the TLP leadership deliberately targeted Christians and Ahmadis in order to establish themselves in the public eye, making their lives intolerable. They disrupted the everyday lives of small communities and non-Muslims in Pakistan by abusing the blasphemy laws and inciting the general populace. The government and its administrative institutions seemed powerless in the face of them. As a result, its adherents’ attitudes were growing increasingly hostile.
Police launched an operation against TLP on October 13 on march toward US embassy on Israil’s issue inside Muridke, allegedly hundreds of the TLP followers/members were killed and injured but its leadership escaped. Strict measures are being taken against TLP in the wake of this operation, and they are subject to numerous prohibitions. Without a question, action was required to contain the TLP, but the massive bloodshed was unacceptable and improper because many innocent lives were lost. To stop more unrest and mischief in the nation and to enhance the perception of Islam and Pakistan, the government should regulate other such groups.
