Islamabad, Aug 7 (ANI): The Punjab government in Pakistan is apparently thinking in the same line of author Humaira Iqtidar, who believes that militant outfits like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) could in fact contribute to the process of secularisation of the society.
According to an Express Tribune editorial, the Punjab government is now trying to integrate the militants and militant organizations into the social bloodstream.
It also says that they are using grassroots-level revenue officials, known as numbardars, to collect information regarding members of banned outfits. Law-enforcement and intelligence agencies are reported to be updating the government about problematic madrassas in the province.
The move raises a question whether the Punjab government has changed its mind and ways in dealing with extremism.
It was believed all these while that the local police in Punjab and Sindh, where militancy is growing at a steady pace, are usually aware of the activities of people there, and in many cases, police are being stopped from interfering with members of militant groups. In fact, militants are reportedly often rescued by intelligence agencies.
Interestingly, a report presented to the Punjab government talks about eight critical madrassas in Bahawalpur, Multan and Lodhran, where most of the madrasas are allegedly supported by state agencies.
Reports have suggested that the Punjab government is apparently trying to accommodate members of militant groups by giving them public and private sector jobs in a bid to bring them out of the streets and divert them from active violence towards other activities.
Pakistani academic and author of the forthcoming Secularising Islamists, Iqtidar, may view the process as perhaps contributing to the process of secularisation of the state and society. In her recently published book, she analysed that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) are contributing to the process of secularisation of the society, though these two organisations do not believe in secularism.
Based on her interviews with JI and JuD women (in particular), the author has concluded that these are actually forces of modernity that would eventually secularise the society. It seems that a similar conclusion was drawn by the Punjab government as well, in integrating the militants and militant organisations into the social bloodstream, the editorial said.
However, the editorial also says that the impact of this plan of reintegrating militant members into society in the present form is problematic, and therefore, should be debated to ensure that the policy does not prove damaging for the society in the later years. (ANI)
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