Interior Ministry’s ad: right content by the wrong forum

Excuse us, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, your ministry’s prime job is to look after internal security issues of the country, and not to issue fatwas on sensitive issues like, such as Khatam-i-Nabuwat or the seal of the prophethood. 

No doubt, every Muslim is very much sensitive about the respect of the last prophet of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), but the ministry has nothing to do with people’s beliefs. The ministry should concentrate on providing a viable atmosphere where religious liberty is provided to all the citizens; preaching religious beliefs is not the job of the ministry.

The Interior Ministry got published a quarter page advertisement in almost all national dailies on October 20, reaffirming the fact that Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) being the last prophet of Allah is the eternal belief of every Muslim. 

True. Very much true. 

But my point is that the Interior Ministry should not indulge in the preaching of religious beliefs. The advertisement was, in fact, an explanation of a fiasco stemming from a drafting error in the Election Bill of 2017 about voters’ oath on Khatam-i-Nabuwat. Consequently, an amended bill was present in Parliament and approved in no time unanimously. That should have concluded the matter. 

But we see that the Interior Ministry took up the cause in the ad after the issue had been settled.  

The step negates the earlier stance by the very minister, who on October 6 told a press conference that no one has a franchise to judge other people’s faith, adding that no one has right to raise questions over the faith of legislators who have signed on the declaration of Khatam-i-Nabuwat on their oath. The minister is also very well informed that most of the terror incidents are also linked with religious beliefs as he referred to the recent suicide terror attack which mercilessly killed 21 people at Jhal Magsi shrine. He also advocated State’s right to declare armed jihad and that the state has the monopoly over the use of force in an Islamic republic, and no citizen has the right to call for the killing of any citizen.

It seems then the minister was only playing to the international community, whereas the advertisement is meant for the local gallery. 

Earlier, PML-N MNA retired Captain Safdar took to the floor, unleashing a salvo of hatred against Ahmadis. Such provocative remarks only fan hatred and religious bigotry in the country. The MNA, whose only achievement in his life is uttering wrong words at wrong times on several occasions, emerged unscathed this time as no one in his party or Parliament questioned him about his hate speech in the National Assembly. 

Similarly, no one is likely to tell Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal that issuing the advertisement on public exchequer to remind the people about religious belief is not his ministry job. He will not be reminded of his ministry’s job to secure people’s religious freedom.        

The advertisement appears on the day when the festivities of Diwali festival are upon us. 

We hardly saw any ceremony or the statement by any the ruling party people to share the happiness of the Hindus living in Pakistan.

Ensuring respect and equal space for every religious and ethnic minority is the responsibility of the State and such advertisements hardly serve the purpose.