Pakistan: Government is silent in the wake of extremism

February 15, 2011

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

Pakistan: Government is silent in the wake of call for nuclear jihad
by religious extremist

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has consistently reported in
the recent weeks on the issue of the government's refusal to take
action on the incitement to murder and civil disobedience by religious
extremists. Several high profile cases have been reported on both
matters by the AHRC and other international NGOs, however, the
government has taken no action to either arrest or halt the messages
of hatred and intimidation. Mullahs are openly using the loud speaker
systems of their Mosques to broadcast their messages of hatred which
is, itself, against the law. However, once again the government has
not made any attempt to prevent this.

Taking advantage of the government's appeasement policy towards
religious intolerance and the killing of people, the extremists have
openly started preaching the use of nuclear weapons against a
neighbouring country in the name of Jihad. Now in a recent and
shocking incident in Lahore on February 6, 2011, an extremist by the
name of Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), spoke in
a public rally of 20,000 people calling for Jihad in the form of a
nuclear war against India. Saeed is wanted in connection with the
bombings in Mumbai and the JuD itself is banned in Pakistan. However,
once again the government has turned a blind eye and taken no action
to either arrest this man or control the situation. This is, indeed a
routine attitude of the government. In an effort to fend off
responsibility for the bombings Saeed accused India of masterminding
the attacks for political gain.

In his speech to the crowd Saeed said, "I want to give a message to
(Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh--quit Kashmir or get ready to face a
war.......The jihad should continue as long as Kashmir remains under
Indian occupation". He went on to say that there would be "no problem
if the fighting leads to nuclear war between Pakistan and India".

It is already bad enough that the government takes no action against
religious extremists calling for the death of anyone they feel might
be against their version of Islam but here we have a situation where a
person wanted in connection with terrorism is openly calling for
Jihad, a holy war against a sovereign nation and a nuclear war at
that!

It is incomprehensible that any sovereign government, elected by the
people, and with the mandate and obligation to protect the people,
would allow such a public announcement to be made. The government of
Asif Ali Zadari must seriously examine its policy of appeasement
towards religious extremists. When a government takes no action
against the call for Jihad that might result in a nuclear war it must
realise that other governments, especially neighbouring governments
will be watching the situation closely. In an attempt to avoid further
trouble at home, Zadari might just be calling down more trouble on the
innocents of a country that is now being intimidated by religious
extremists.

By tolerating such threats of the use of nuclear weapons it seems
that the government does not fully appreciate the horror of a nuclear
attack. They only need examine the pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
to experience the devastation and misery caused, a misery that lingers
even today 66 years after the bombs were dropped. Nuclear radiation
has no respect for borders and the Jihadists may be calling down death
and destruction on the people of the entire continent, not only their
'enemies'. What is the point of turning the prize they seek, Kashmir,
into a nuclear waste dump?

The most dangerous interpretation of such announcements would be that
the nuclear assets of the country are not in safe hands and Muslim
extremists have or can have access to these weapons. By failing to
reign in the extremists and stop their messages of hate the government
is, in fact, colluding with them.

War mongering in the name of religion or any other cause is a crime
against humanity and this is especially so when it may result in a
nuclear war. The government must immediately take uncompromising
action against those militants who are openly calling for the use of
nuclear weapons against a neighbouring country. Humanity cannot and
will not sit idle and watch two nations destroy, not only themselves,
but threaten the entire world with destruction. The government of
Pakistan must not only ensure that the country's nuclear weapons are
safe from extremists but also assure the rest of the world that this
is so.

The AHRC urges the government of Pakistan to take immediate action
against the extremists. Cases must be filed against them and they must
be arrested, charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Their speeches of hate and their war mongering must be halted
forthwith.

ENDS

© Scoop Media