Pakistan government fans 'toxicity, regressive' narratives in societies which lead to extremism: Report

Pakistan government fans toxicity and regressive narratives in the society which lead to extremism in the country and result in the surge of cases of lynching over blasphemy and similar incidents, reported local media.

The recent lynching in Pakistan's Khanewal district over blasphemy and months back lynching of a Lankan man show that there is anger and toxicity in Pakistan's society that has been fed on flawed ideologies and regressive narratives fanned by the state, it is time to acknowledge that the damage done is more insidious and deep-rooted than we think. And it will be years before it can be reversed. Only when it realises the futility of resorting to quick fixes will the state be in a better position to fight extremism, reported Dawn.

A day after the Khanewal lynching, the police did rescue a blasphemy suspect in Faisalabad from an angry mob that had surrounded his home. But their quick action here, and in some other cases, is overshadowed by a barbaric public mentality for which no law is a deterrent especially in matters of faith, said the Pakistani publication

The governments in Pakistan had been taking steps that either promoted extremism or worked as catalysts for that. The removal of the proscribed group status from the hardline Pakistan Tehreek-i-Labbaik (TLP) party and Islamabad's failed talks with proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are such steps that fuel extremism in the country.

Islamabad would swing into 'action' after Khanewal. Religious leaders condemned the incident and police rounded up suspects. And while there were no state honours for Mushtaq Rajput who was buried in the local cemetery, the prime minister pledged to crack down with the full force of the law. On what though? The issue goes well beyond the misuse of the blasphemy law, said Dawn.

Certainly, Pakistan's parliamentarians and the ulema should discuss it and revisit it as if the steps that fume extremism and fanning of hatred in the society do not stop, Pakistan would witness the massive rise in such incidents in near future.

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor