Hate literature in social media

By Z.A.Zulfi (Booni), Chitral The proposed National Action Plan, adopted on the pretext of subsequent rising incidents of terrorism and brutal terrorist attack on the Army Public School is said to be in the implementation stage. The ruling PML-N government and entire political forces decided to take stern actions against extremism and terrorist activities. Barbaric act of terrorists on the innocent lives across Pakistan opened the eyes of entire Pakistani community. As suggested by the National Action Plan, the initiatives will not only address the terrorist but also extremist. Military courts have been set up throughout the country as an initial step toward eliminating the extremism. Secondly, verification of mobile SIMs is in the final stage. In this context we must be appreciative of the actions taken against the extremist elements irrespective of who they are whom they belong. I think that military court should not be taken as a sole initiative rather it is a single part of the solution. Military operation against militants and military courts will eliminate the terrorists. However the issue has many dimensions when we determine to take action against the extremism which is a root cause of terrorism. The war on terror must be fought on many fronts. Eliminating terrorism and curbing the terrorists are the two different phenomenons. The later needs a long term planning. Doing away with the terrorists is not the only solution unless the very seeds of extremism are eliminated. Even if we suppose that in the coming 20 or 30 years we get rid of the mindset still there would be sympathizers. We must admit the fact that terrorist are the individual with bone and flesh allegedly hiding in the inaccessible remote mountainous region of the country. While extremism and terrorism are mindset groomed during the last many decades. We must also admit that it is not only in the caves but every nook and corner of the society where terrorism has strongholds. Terrorists have guns and rocket launchers in their hand while extremist have soft corners for them. Numerous suicidal attacks on the important military installations in the country attest to fact that extremism has penetrated every sphere of life in Pakistan. Deadly attack on GHQ, Kamra air base, wah factory and many more indicate that terrorist elements have got sympathizers from the insiders. In my opinion second most important step should be an operation against hate literature in print and Electronic media. It has been observed that electronic media has been a good source of preaching the heinous agenda of this dirty mindset. In the recent year social media especially the Facebook and twitter is being used as a popular source for extremist. The tragedy with the social media is that everybody can log in and share stuff against any community, individual and sect without any check and balance on them. It is alarming that a number of new web pages are being opened on daily bases vilifying and abusing the people or group of specific sect. Non violent and pacifist Muslim communities such as Ismailis, Barelvis and Shias have been their soft target. Different sacrilegious and blasphemous statement against the beliefs, forged photographs of the sacred places and leaders and other material are being shared and left for open comments and like and dislike. This stuff is again shared with thousand other likeminded individuals thus propagating the message. Recently Pakistan Ulema Council chairman Maulana Tahir Ashrafi demanded to frame regulations against blasphemous material of any sort. A laudable initiative indeed!!! Through history it is evident that theological discussion and munazira have no conclusion. Rather they have ended with no result and in many cases resulted in the inter-communal conflict and wars. Had there been any conclusion of any such discussion on faith matter there would have been a single faith throughout the globe. Faith is a personal matter of an individual. Coercion on faith matter by any group or individual has caused much destruction. This remind me one of the lines of urdu poet Zauq, Gul haa e rung rung se hai zeenat e Jahan Ae zauq is jahan ko hai zeb ikhtilaf se.]]>