Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken to deeper Islamization to establish “Naya Pakistan '' . Khan has announced the formation of Rehmatul-Lil-Aalamin Authority- a council of mullahs and religious clerics to save the people of Pakistan from the western culture. His rejection of liberal values, and turn to theocratic doctrines is evident as the new authority will monitor the curriculum being taught at schools and colleges and will also closely “check” contents run on media channels.
“The authority will also remain vigilant of any blasphemous content being shared on the media and to portray the real picture of Islam,” Pakistani news channel Geo TV quoted Imran Khan as saying.
"They (authority) will tell us what things need to be changed.”
Countries where rule of law reigns supreme are bound to progress: PM Imran Khan
Detailing the framework of the proposed, the cricketer and playboy turned politician, Khan says that while he will be the patron-in-chief of the organisation, the chairman will be an Islamic scholar and other members will be from the religious organisations.
“The purpose of authority is to teach the life of the Holy Prophet (to the children and adults and to bring it into their lives. Allah is commanding us because if you build your country on the principles of the state of Madina, your country will rise, if you try to adopt his role, you will rise.”
Interestingly, last week the Pakistani Prime Minister Khan had promised mullahs that no laws which are against the Islamic rules will be enacted during his regime and two major bills, the first to address the issue of domestic violence and another drafted to check forced conversions, will not be enacted as they are against Islamic law.
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In fusing religion with statecraft, Khan appears to have added one more spur to bond with the quasi-theocratic narrative emerging from Turkey and Qatar—countries with deep links with West Asia’s Muslim Brotherhood ideology.
Khan’s moves sound familiar specially for those Pakistanis who has seen the regime of the dictator Zia-ul- Haq who was responsible for the rise of religious extremism in their country.
“34 years after General Zia ul Haque's death, his political legacy is as powerful as ever. All subsequent governments have followed his legacy and Imran Khan govt is no different,” says Nadeem Paracha of Naya Daur TV in his show -”The legacy of Gen Zia ul Haq| Is Imran Khan Working on Gen. Zia's Agenda”?
General Zia, who had come to power after overthrowing Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a military coup, settled Pakistan’s ideological direction firmly in favour of Islamization and embarked on a wholesale theocratic narrative with a mission to “purify and cleanse Pakistan.” Zia’s Hudood Ordinances, replaced the Pakistani Penal code with new offenses of adultery and fornication along with the establishment of Shariat Appellate Benches. Legal cases were to be judged using interpretations of the Quran and Sunnah, and brought into line with religious sharia.
Analysts believe that Imran Khan is following Zia's footsteps specially after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban when applauded the Afghans for “breaking free of the shackles of slavery.” The Taliban’s victory not only has galvanized terrorist groups waging a bloody insurgency inside Pakistan, but it has also buoyed hard-line religious parties that seek to reshape Pakistan in a more fundamentalist Islamist image. One Pakistani observer says that “isolated” and “weak” Imran Khan has been trying to woo support from all religious and hard-line parties of his country. After all he has an ambition to be the greatest leader of Muslims. ‘Remember how he has been using the issue of Islamophobia”.
Imran Khan’s aspiration to have a true Islamic system in Pakistan, has been reflected in his statements that women must follow the Islamic concept of “purdah” to protect themselves from such violence as “not everyone has willpower” to control their sexual instinct.
