Pakistan witnessed another incident of blasphemy related violence last week when a mob attacked the minority Christian community and their churches in the eastern town of Jaranwala. Triggered by reports that a Christian man from Jaranwala had desecrated the Koran, the incident took place just weeks after a man was shot dead by gunmen on an allegation of blasphemy in Balochistan. In February, a man was lynched over allegations that he had desecrated the Koran in Punjab. Immediately after the Jaranwala incident, Pakistan’s newly appointed caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said his government would not support “forces of darkness”. But local reports said when thousands of Muslim men were attacking churches and houses belonging to Christians in Jaranwala, forcing hundreds of people to flee to neighbouring areas, authorities were slow to respond to the riot. This itself is not surprising given how Pakistan’s authorities have been dealing with the blasphemy-related controversies.
Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan, though nobody has been convicted till date. But the real problem is that the laws have empowered radical sections of society who take it upon themselves to “bring justice” to those accused of blasphemy. This often leads to mob violence and extrajudicial killings when the state institutions look away. According to the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies, at least 89 Pakistanis, including 18 women, have been killed in 1,415 accusations or cases of blasphemy since 1947. Civil society groups, international rights organisations as well as Pakistan’s judiciary have in recent years expressed their concerns over the misuse of the blasphemy laws. But nothing has prompted the country’s leaders to address this problem. Instead, the Senate passed a Bill in August to increase punishment for those using derogatory remarks about the Prophet’s family members, close companions and the first four Caliphs, further tightening the blasphemy laws. In this editorial, The Hindu argues, “This law with its colonial origins should not have any place in a modern state. But in Pakistan, where religion has been used by all stakeholders to maximise their interests, there is no commitment to tackle the real problem.”
Also see this profile of the controversial laws by Kallol Bhattacherjee: Faith and violence.
Neighbourhood watch
India and China have agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) “in an expeditious manner” after two days of talks between military commanders at Chushul, report Ananth Krishnan and Dinakar Peri. The 19th round of talks was held on August 13-14 — in contrast to previous rounds where talks did not go beyond one day — and both sides released a joint statement. “In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner,” it said. “They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas.”
While talks between India and China continue, Beijing’s aggressive approach towards its neighbours, from the South China Sea to the Line of Actual Control, remains unchanged. In this news analysis, Ananth Krishnan writes that China has been more forcefully pushing its territorial claims with neighbours with the aim of dissuading their warming ties with the U.S, a risky strategy that experts said could end up backfiring.
Meanwhile, China has pledged help for Sri Lanka’s debt challenge yet again,even as the Ranil Wickremesinghe government tries to finalise the terms of restructuring its foreign loans with bilateral creditors. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on has “vowed that China will help Sri Lanka effectively address the challenges of financial debt”, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, reports Meera Srinivasan.
Top Five
- Why is the BRICS summit important for India?: Will India and China have the opportunity to have bilateral talks on the Line of Actual Control dispute? How will fruitful discussions have a bearing on the G20 summit in Delhi next month? Will Russian President Vladimir Putin attend the meeting? explains Suhasini Haidar.
- Tatmadaw | Myanmar’s ‘killing machine’: The military, which has ruled Myanmar for most of its existence since independence, has started showing signs of weakness after the 2021 coup amid reports of low morale, defections and desertions, Saumya Kalia writes in The Hindu Profiles.
- A symbolic march to retrace history and assert rights: Members of Sri Lanka’s Malaiyaha Tamil community travelled over 250 km by foot over a fortnight to mark 200 years since their south Indian ancestors’ arrival in Sri Lanka, reports Meera Srinivasan.
- Ro Khanna | Pragmatic progressive: The U.S. Congressman, a member of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, seems to be settling into a Clinton-like pragmatist mode, G. Sampath writes in The Hindu Profiles.
- How the richest country in the world has allowed its poor to remain poor: Sociologist Mathew Desmond points out that poverty is deeply linked with racism, mass incarceration, the housing crisis, domestic violence, gun violence in neighbourhoods, the opioid epidemic, welfare cuts and social isolation, writes Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta.
