Police, policy and Pakistan’s blasphemy law

A Chinese national recently accused of blasphemy, identified as ‘Mr Tian’, was fortunate. He was saved just in time from the wrath of a gathered mob out for blood. Otherwise, we could have seen another tragic repeat of what Sri Lankan manager, Priyantha Kumara, suffered in Sialkot when he was lynched by a mob in December 2021.

Tian, who was supervising work at the Kohistan Dasu hydropower project, faced an almost similar fate, reportedly for urging local workers to speed up their pace of work as they took a prayer break. 

The workers were quick to rally their entire village against him, accusing him of committing an act of blasphemy. The situation on the ground turned so hostile that he had to be airlifted from the area to a safer place.

There is no crowd worse for law enforcement agencies than one in a religiously inspired frenzy, so to say. There are two major reasons for this: First, an overwhelming majority of the police officers in subordinate ranks share the same mindset with those they are asked to confront. As mobs chant holy verses, such personnel can be prone to believing that the mob in front of them is justified in acting against those it has accused of wrongdoing. 

Their preferred course of action in such a scenario can be to step aside rather than stand and fight — in other words, dereliction of duty in its classical sense. 

It is imperative that intelligence-led policing is used to engage with the local community to de-radicalize and counter early signs of radicalisation with the assistance of seminaries, civil society groups, traders, educational institutes, representatives of the public and other influencers. 

Dr Syed Kaleem Imam

Secondly, when such allegations are made, protecting the accused can mean using force against a highly charged crowd. The consequences of this can be dire. Not only can it put the cops’ own lives at risk, but it can also place the lives of their loved ones in peril because those protecting the accused can easily be accused of facilitating the crime — a charge almost as bad as committing the crime itself. 

It is unfortunate that the policies of the government and stakeholders in such scenarios are never clear. At crucial moments, responsible individuals digress. This further radicalises society: since leaders seldom condemn religious violence and disown those who perpetrate it to save their own skin, it is often insinuated that any major incident was simply a result of it not being ‘handled properly.’

Even though police have saved many lives, lynchings have far-reaching consequences. It is imperative that intelligence-led policing is used to engage with the local community to deradicalize and counter early signs of radicalisation with the assistance of seminaries, civil society groups, traders, educational institutes, representatives of the public and other influencers.  

In the event of a brewing sign or an incident, the accused must be taken into protective custody and shifted immediately. It is equally important to ensure that the place they are taken to is secure. The security of courtrooms and prisons where they are to be presented or incarcerated is equally critical. To subdue the hate from spreading further, it is also necessary to actively suppress, or counter propaganda spread through social media.

Secondly, let’s not hesitate-- a curriculum to combat religiously motivated violence should be added to training schools to help provide better responses, in addition to conducting courses to eliminate elements of extremism within the force. There should be a course on negotiation with a charged crowd. Professional negotiators are required.  A thorough review of each blasphemous-related lynching must be conducted for future learning. No vigilante justice should be allowed lest more unaware and innocent victims be added to this madness. 

While updating the police’s response protocols can help improve outcomes when a blasphemy related incident becomes a security issue, it is also important to tackle the issue in a more holistic manner. We dare not comment on the blasphemy law. Whether the law was introduced with sincerity to protect the honour of our Holy Prophet (PBUH), or to secure political benefits, we cannot say. However, it has certainly damaged the reputation of the country and the religion, and such incidents are hard to defend. 

It is the ineffective criminal justice system and people's lack of faith in it that is at the root of this crime epidemic. We may couple this with the ruling classes expedient avaricious ambitions who instead of reforming, build their narratives for personal gain- with least concern for potential repercussions. 

Perhaps it is time to review the law, to ensure that true respect is paid to the religious understanding. Our religious and other leaders  must infuse among their devotees the belief that building a false plot and playing around with people’s feelings has costs for the believers. Aren't such laws, used to ‘protect’ our religion, an indication that we lack faith in our own beliefs?

– The writer holds a doctorate in politics and international relations and has served as a federal secretary and inspector-general of police. He tweets @KaleemImam.