The false prophet

 

 

the failure of Musharraf to choose between hard line Islam and a liberal democratic polity is more by design than by default. The much cultivated moderate persona of Pervez Musharraf is a chimera. This became evident when the Pakistan National Assembly unanimously rejected a bill introduced by Minoo Bhandara, a Christian member of the National Assembly, to repeal the draconian blasphemy law in Section 295 C, Pakistan Penal Code, for bringing insults to other religions within the ambit of the existing law, which imposes death for insulting Prophet Mohammed. If that wasn’t enough, the drafting of the infamous apostasy law that would award death penalty to any Muslim man or woman who have dared to convert from Islam, has sent shivers down the spine of many.

The draft bill, states that even if the ‘offender’ decides to reconvert to Islam, the judge can award a sentence of imprisonment for two years for the original sin. Tabled by the hard line Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in 2006, the draft was sent by the government to National Assembly. Of late, the government has stated that it plans to reintroduce the bill in the National Assembly.

Asma Jahangir, Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, besides expressing grave concerns on the issue, blames Musharraf directly. While talking to TSI, she advanced the argument that Musharraf is handing over dynamite to the fanatics. Such a law would aggravate sectarian strife and acrimony in Pakistan. It is Musharraf who has cynically used the fundamentalists to project his so-called moderate image to the West.

As for the future, Jahangir comments: “The general populace of Pakistan is fed up with the military regime. These are defining moments for us, but something positive would definitely emerge.” For the well-wishers of Pakistan, this can at best be an underlying hope.