Le Figaro (Unofficial translation), 20 January 2011

By Marie-France Calle

For having attacked it, the Governor of Punjab has been killed. His murderer is celebrated.

RELIGION. Under the pale January sun, Lahore tries to heal its wounds. Latif Khosa, the new Governor of Punjab has been enthroned almost on tip toe and one can feel that central power tries to remove quickly the memory of his predecessor Salman Taseer, murdered by his bodyguard on 4th January. In front of the Governor’s White palace, just a small poster recalls the tragic death of the man who fell because he dared to attack the law on blasphemy and denouncing a running Islamization wasting Pakistan. "He had become embarrassing even for his own party, the Bhutto clan. He was a personal friend of the president Zardari but this one finally dropped him", says with irony Azhar Siddiqui, advocate to the Supreme Court and a fierce defender of the law on blasphemy. He adds: "Islamabad has miserably failed. The government said too late that there will not be any amendment on the law against blasphemy. As a result, people keep protesting against any change to this law to which they are deeply attached. Some of them are making Taseer's murderer a hero".

Islamabad's silence.

For completely opposite reasons, Peter Jacob, general secretary of the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a Catholic NGO, also denounces Islamabad's inertia. He is asking for "at least some amendments aiming to soften violence generated by this law often applied in an unfair way" and he is convinced that "if the government had intervened on time and firmly to make things move", Salman Taseer would still be alive. "Law on blasphemy will keep haunting the government", he concludes. While Islamabad authorities are conspicuous by their absence in the harsh debate which began two weeks ago, Islamic parties and movements are taking advantage to occupy the ground. Divided some time ago, they are today gathering under the same flag, the Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasul (Movement for the honour of the Prophet). They are demanding the upholding of the law on blasphemy as it is and Mumtaz Hussain Quadri’s (Salman Taseer’s murderer) acquittal. Deobandis (some of them are close to the Taliban) and the moderate Barelvis, who have been the target of many attacks from the Islamic fundamentalists, are now walking hand in hand and bringing onto the streets thousands of citizens from various parties. "The big disappointment comes from the advocates. Until two years ago, they were representing the Pakistani aspirations for democracy. They were forgetting that among them, a whole generation was trained by Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorship", Peter Jacob sighs. Zia-ul-Haq or the man who spread the seeds of Islamization in the country in the 1980's… "It is the whole story of Pakistan which is blowing upon our faces", Peter Jacob asserts.

In Lahore, the Jamia Masjid Al-Qadsia, one of the most beautiful and the biggest mosques of the city, has become a real eyesore in the heart of the Pakistan cultural and political capital. From this bastion of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), an avatar of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), sermons full of hatred are spread. On Friday, the day of prayers, police establishes a security perimeter around al-Qadsia to avoid any untoward incidents. But at the beginning of the year, this had not prevented JuD – was it not forbidden? – from leading two huge demonstrations to Lahore. Coming from Punjab, protestors have shouted slogans against the government and the religious minorities. They also attacked the Pope.

"Salman Taseer is dead because he took the defence of Asia Bibi" asserts the archbishop of Lahore, His Lord Lawrence J. Saldanha. Accused of insulting the Prophet during a quarrel with women from her village, this young Catholic is languishing in prison for more than a year. Condemned to death by a Punjab court she is waiting for the verdict from High Court of Lahore. In a spectacular gesture, Salman Taseer had visited her in jail with his wife and one of his daughters. "Asia Bibi has become a symbol of the law against blasphemy and when the Governor came to meet her, it was also a strong symbol", comments Ayra Inderyas, a young Catholic in charge of improving the condition of women in the diocese of Lahore.

As for the archbishop, publicity regarding the "Asia Bibi case" may only harm the young woman and beyond her, all Pakistani Christians. Even the Pope stands asking for Asia's liberation and the abolishment of the law on blasphemy let him sceptical. "They complicate things for us. They raise mollahs and population against Christian people" he confides.

Meeting the Ahmadis, a prosecuted Muslim community

The man received us in his plush apartment in Gulberg, the wealthy and "hip” district of Lahore. The paneling with patina of the living room gives to the place an intimate and warm aspect that is rather rare in Pakistani interiors. On the wall, contemporary paintings are hung. Tea is served; the pastries are passed, conversations start. "The law on blasphemy? It has been voted against us, exactly tailored for us”, our host said. "We”, they are the Ahmadis and "he”, he is one of the main leader of this prosecuted community since the birth of Pakistan in 1947. "I have never given anonymous interview because I never thought it was necessary, he said, making apologies at the same time, but a week ago some members of the community asked me to keep each and every name secret, including mine.” In Pakistan, the assassination of Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab, on January 4th, had an electroshock impact. "Society is less and less indulgent, nobody can debate anymore on any subject without taking the risk to be killed”, said our host, shaking his head.

Ahmadis have never been in "good books” in Pakistan. Born at the end of the 19th century in Qadian, a small locality in the Indian Punjab, this branch of Islam based itself on the belief that Mohammad is not the last prophet. This belief is considered sacrilegious by the Sunnis, who are a majority in Pakistan. The Sunnis have decided to excommunicate them. Ahmadis still consider themselves as good Muslims. "We are following to the "T” the words of God. For us, Islam is neither violence, nor fundamentalism, we do not only recite the Qu’ran by heart, we also make the exegesis of it”, our host underlines. Since 1949, a witch hunt was launched against Ahmadis, including Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, who was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. He is accused of being an informer of the ‘Indian enemy.’ He succeeded to stay in his position till 1954. In the year 1953 the first serious genocide of this small community began, forcing many of its members to migrate. Ahmadis represent today about 5% of the Pakistani population.

Everything changed in 1974, when the then Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto decided to make an amendment to the Constitution, stating that Ahmadis are not Muslims. Since then, if they say that they are Muslims, they are guilty of blasphemy. "The State of violence started in 1974 with Bhutto. The scheme found its marks with Zia-ul-Hal in the 1980s. And now the movement is speeding up”, the Ahmadis’ leader summarizes. Discrimination against Ahmadis is serious. They are not allowed to perform the "Haj”, a pilgrimage to Mecca, every good Muslim has to perform at least once in his life; Pakistani passports on which religion is mentioned- clearly indicate that Ahmadis are not Muslims and that their founder is an "impostor”.

In May 2010, they again paid with their lives. A double attack against two of their mosques in Lahore killed 90 people. "Adversity has been salutary for us”, the religious leader ironically declares about the situation. Since Ahmadis have been forbidden in the public sector, they have gone to the private sector, where they are doing even better. "We care a lot about education, 100% of the men and 85% of the women in our community know how to read and write”. The solution of this war between Ahmadis, Sunnis, Shias in Pakistan? "A secular State”, he said without hesitation.

3 questions to Rana Sana Ullah Khan, minister of Justice of Punjab by Marie-France Calle

Certain affirm that the position adopted by Salman Taseer verged (were were verging) on provocation. Do you agree? (Is it your opinion?)

People are very attached to the blasphemy law and many Pakistani think it was justified to kill Salman Taseer. (This murder is unhappy) This murder is sad because it enables the religious fundamentalists to exploit people’s emotion against liberals like him. In reality, the position adopted by Taseer had political stake. He wanted to draw towards him the religious minorities.

But he was not a religious man…

That is true, but he thought that by openly supporting Asia Bibi, he would collect the voices of minorities during the next elections. When his political manoeuvres failed, his own party (the PPP of the Bhutto clan in power) left him. Consequently, he was alone in facing the Islamic fundamentalists. The government is not courageous enough to attack the fundamentalists; in fact it is afraid of them and fears to be criticized for being allied with the United States against Muslim people.

Will the fundamentalist parties score better in the next election? (Do fundamentalist parties have a chance to realize a better score during the next elections?)

No. But they will try to use the blasphemy law.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)