ONCE again, an ill wind is blowing. And once again, the state is demonstrating its pusillanimity.

It all began about two weeks ago when Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed at a conference organised by the Pakistan Academy of Letters described madressahs as “universities of ignorance” promoting a “culture of hatred and conservativeness [in] society”.

When religious organisations got wind of the minister’s remarks, a storm of condemnation broke, particularly from the Deobandi elements. The Wafaqul Madaris Al Arabia, the board representing the country’s Deobandi seminaries, in a demonstration outside the National Press Club in Islamabad demanded the minister’s resignation and the registration of cases against him.

Also read: ‘Minister’s defamers’ escape after assaulting police party

That, predictably, was only the opening salvo. Since then, the campaign against Mr Rasheed has taken a more sinister, yet very familiar course. Loaded language and potentially lethal labels that are peculiar to the arsenal of the right-wing have surfaced on cue. The minister had ‘ridiculed the ideology’ of Pakistan, read banners in the country’s capital; he was an ‘atheist’ and ‘heretic’ they railed, and called for his execution.

First, let us dispense with the obvious: the religious organisations are well within their rights to register their protest. However, that right does not extend to levelling threats or using emotive language that in the existing environment can easily be construed as incitement to violence or even murder.

At the same time, it is telling that the banners have only now, after a week of being displayed at various central locations in Islamabad, reportedly been taken down and some individuals arrested and charged with crimes pertaining to defamation and public mischief.

Even in a country where the ‘VIP culture’ is constantly lambasted for privileging the political elite, the government was unable, or unwilling, to mount a prompt and robust response to an unlawful campaign — that too in the seat of government — against one of its own federal ministers by religious lobbies.

Equally disheartening is the deafening silence from politicians in general to come to Mr Rasheed’s defence. Whether cowardice or political expediency is to blame, it is in everyone’s interest to work together to contain these malign forces that seem to mysteriously remain unaccountable to anyone.

A few years ago, a similar campaign led to the assassination of the Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer. Much innocent blood has been spilt since then in the name of faith. The state cannot afford to continue taking the path of least resistance.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play