Islamabad [Pakistan], April 22 : An additional chapter in the history of the nation's investigative commission is 'The Faizabad sit-in inquiry report', which like other probes, is unable to meet its conclusion, says an opinion piece in the Dawn newspaper.
The 2017 Faizabad sit-in was organized by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. It started a protest on November 8, 2017 at Islamabad's Faizabad interchange. Individuals involved in the 2017 events preferred to take responsibility for how the sit-in ended but stayed mum on who was behind the sit-in in the first place.
Writer Muhammad Amir Rana, says that the report is unable to establish accountability or unearth meaningful evidence.
The report has generated debate without coming to a firm conclusion. And now, important figures are coming forward with "new facts," implying that more research might be necessary. Any such endeavour, though, is probably going to suffer the same fate as the report.
A noteworthy criticism levelled at the report is its apparent disregard for the specific direction from the Supreme Court about the withdrawal of review petitions against its ruling, as well as the date and reasoning behind their filing, Rana wrote in his opinion for Dawn.
In order to support the anti-terrorism authorities, the commission also points out areas of weakness in the National Action Plan's implementation and suggests changes to the criminal justice system.
The report's final section orders the federal and local governments to keep a close eye on and take legal action against anyone who spreads hate, extremism, or terrorism, Rana opined.
The leaked report neglects the imperative for state institutions to abandon the use of religious and extremist groups for political purposes. The rise of the TLP exemplifies this trend, as its popularity is fuelled by emotional rhetoric rooted in radical ideology and its manipulation by state entities for political goals since 2018.
Despite losing backing from these institutions in 2024, the TLP managed to amass even more votes, reaching 2.89 million, compared to the 2.2m votes it garnered in 2018. This highlights the urgent need to confront the fusion of extremist factions with political interests. Addressing this issue is crucial to safeguarding the integrity of political processes and preventing further entrenchment of radical ideologies within the political landscape, writes Rana.
Meanwhile, state institutions must allow moderate religious knowledge to flourish in the nation as a counterpoint to harmful narratives, rather than relying exclusively on administrative means to combat ideology. Pakistan continues to remain devoid of this practice.
In order to properly confront the problems posed by radical groups such as the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the state still needs to come up with a comprehensive plan.
"State institutions believe they can manage extremism through engagement and disengagement tactics. However, genuine innovation arises only when academic campuses are granted the freedom to explore ideas, with the state as a guardian of this freedom. Otherwise, groups promoting exclusivity find favour with state institutions," Rana writes, according to Dawn.
The 2017 sit-in commission report cleared nearly all those involved, drawing attention to these compromises but not holding anyone accountable.
As a result, to attract media attention, this report has propelled the TLP back into the public discourse.