Orthodoxy
Today, any state that wishes to call itself a democracy, in its true liberal sense, adheres to the fundamental right of freedom of expression — a human right protected by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Pakistan has also committed to in the form of Article 19 of its Constitution.
Fear
Moral panics, and the culture of fear they produce, serve autocrats quite well. It grants them the fuel needed to burn legal safeguards amidst thunderous applause from the public. Across the world, fear continues to be the favourite narrative of populist strong men. From Trump to Orban, fear is the language they speak to fool people into giving up their rights.
Of Monsters and Men
The law in this country is present only in its absence. If the social contract fails to protect women from men who have become monsters, then women have no obligation of loyalty to the state. The state loses its moral legitimacy. Women then must take it upon themselves to dismantle the structure of patriarchy that has forced them to suffer. Whether or not the state helps them.
Principles of Accountability
Legitimacy depends on fairness. People believe in court decisions if they are seen as the outcome of a fair process. That faith is lost when the process appears rigged in favour of one side so that outcomes become foregone conclusions. NAB’s powers are both structured, and exercised, in a way that gives the impression of selective accountability. The NAB Ordinance must be repealed, and a new system, one that respects due process, the dignity of every person, and the rule of law, needs to be enacted.
Eye of the Storm
Long-lasting change in Sindh can only come about by implementing an effective local government system. To achieve this, it is time for the Sindh Assembly to revisit the SLGA and devolve power in the way envisioned by the 18th Amendment.
The Rule of Law & Hierarchy
The consequences of having a system where the law perpetuates existing power structures is of course the further reproduction of hierarchy. And thus, the law, dreamt to protect all, protects only a few. The rest of the country is made completely dependent on this small minority.
Saffron Colonialism
Seventy-three years after the sun set on British colonial rule in India, colonialism’s shadow still haunts the people of Kashmir. The face of the coloniser has changed, but the domination of the indigenous people of Kashmir is being done using a playbook that was perfected 73 years ago.
Thought Police
The Government of Punjab isn’t concerned about educating our children, but concerned with making sure critical thinking is suppressed.
The Democrat & The Dictator
The youth of Pakistan deserve role models like Ms Jinnah who, unlike Ayub’s titles, earned the name Madar-e-Millat. She was a humanitarian who worked to resettle female refugees from India; an advocate for democracy against an authoritarian regime; a leader who saw the plight of the people of East Pakistan at the hands of the West before 1971 brought it to the forefront.
Green All Over
Most people, our politicians included, seem to believe that Pakistan is a bastion for religious harmony. Members of the Hindu faith, whose temple is causing such unnecessary controversy, would beg to disagree. They have been the scapegoats for pent-up fury by Pakistanis at the actions of India in the past. When the Babri Masjid incident happened in 1992, the reaction in Pakistan was for mobs to destroy over a 100 Hindu temples in their best impression of our national hero Mahmud of Ghaznavi.
Symbols of Racism
Statues that celebrate racism and colonialism should not occupy public spaces. If needed, they can always be moved to museums where they can be analysed according to their proper historical context. They should not be glaring down on people from public squares as domineering symbols of a racist past.
On Our Own
Whether you are for lockdowns or not, one thing we can all agree on is that the government’s messaging has been poor. Adding to the problem at every turn.
Streets of Rage
For over 10 days, Americans have watched as protests paralleling the civil rights movement erupted across the country. The majority of protestors have taken to the streets by speaking the language of Martin Luther King Jr: the peaceful protest.
The 18th Amendment & The Supreme Court
The judiciary continues to prefer, regardless of parliamentary intent, an old centralised model. The model that the 18th Amendment wanted to expunge from the Constitution. In doing so, it is creating a jurisprudence at odds with the document they are tasked with protecting. Either the judiciary must correct its course or parliament must step in before there is nothing left of the 18th Amendment to save.
The Annual 18th Amendment Debate
Critics of the 18th Amendment should understand that the PTI did not win the Sindh government. As per our Constitution, that means the province has autonomy no matter how much this may frustrate the Centre. To tear down the 18th Amendment on this basis is ludicrous. It would put individual rule on a higher pedestal than institutional development.
Ink of the Scholar
An apology is the least Maulana Tariq Jameel can do to prevent further harm to women from his statement. If he is a scholar, then he must discard the intellectual laziness of blaming Covid-19 on the actions of women and immodesty. The golden age of Islam that so many crave for happened because people weren’t afraid to answer complex problems with complex answers. People like Maulana Tariq Jameel talk of that golden age often but refuse to do anything to reclaim it.
Blind Faith
Once upon a time, Islam was known for the use of reason over blind faith. Practical reason was the hallmark of early Islamic jurisprudence, demanding that we weigh the situation in front of us to come to the best decision. When weighing the risk of exposing our community to a deadly pathogen against communal prayer, the outcome should not be difficult. Prayer can happen at home, and if congregational prayer is seen as mandatory then people can pray in groups with their families. If a khutbah (sermon) before prayer is necessary, then any member of the family can deliver it.
Prisoners in Pandemics
The saga of the rights of prisoners during a pandemic ended with the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan deciding that only a limited category of prisoners awaiting trial deserved temporary freedom. In doing so, the SC refused to go as far as the more expansive judgment authored by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). This unfortunate result stems from the SC not considering vital legal principles that bore crucial relevance to the issue before them.
Flatten the Curve
The actions taken during this extraordinary moment in history will be scrutinised from every angle in the years to come. Public figures that downplayed the threat before it gorged on their healthcare systems will be cited as examples of inept leadership. Inaction will be the cardinal sin in the story of the coronavirus.
Fear in the time of Covid-19
Apathy is a deadly vice when dealing with pandemics. Even more so when you are given a rather generous three-month headstart to get on top of things. If you still aren’t ready for what’s coming after that you have no one to blame but yourself.