Home Monthly Newsreports September, 2005

Quetta; September 10, 2005: Mr. Wasim Ahmad, 59, an Ahmadi medical practitioner of Quetta was murdered by unknown assassins at about 9 a.m. on September 10, 2005.

Mr. Wasim Ahmad left home to proceed to his clinic. Outside, he was intercepted by two men on a motor cycle. One of them, according to an eye-witness, had a long beard. He was wearing a green robe and a red turban on his head. The assassins fired six bullets, of which three hit Mr. Wasim. He was rushed to the hospital where after an extensive operation the bullets were removed, but Mr. Wasim succumbed to the injuries, and expired at about 2 a.m. The bullet empties recovered from the site carry the distinctive mark of Sipah Sahaba, a banned extremist religious organization.

Mr. Wasim Ahmad has left behind his widow and one son and three daughters all still dependant on him. He was buried the next day.

It is learnt that about six weeks prior to his murder, Mr. Wasim Ahmad was contacted by a few Islamist activists who insisted that he attend the conference “Sunnaton Bhara Ijtima” held at Quetta by the Sunnis. They asked him to ‘convert’ to Islam. Also a few days earlier, some religious zealots of Jamaat Islami and Khatme Nabuwwat factions were in contact with him, and bore malice against him. The police have registered a case against unknown killers. No arrests have been made.

Rabwah; September 7, 2005: The Daily Times of Lahore reported the following on September 9, 2005 in a Staff Report from Islamabad:

The president repeated these bold and shrewd policy remarks before the National Security Council on 8th September 2005. However, only a day earlier, on September 7, his administration permitted a conference to be held at Rabwah. The organizers of this annual conference never fail to indulge in the kind of activities that the president desires to curb. The wide gulf in the president’s policy and the implementation by the administration is amazing. A press report of the proceedings of this conference from the daily Jang, Lahore of September 9 is translated below to illustrate the amazing phenomenon:

This report was published as a three-column news on page 2 of the daily Jang, Lahore on September 9, 2005. Is it not interesting that Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, Advisor on Religious Affairs to the Chief Minister Punjab not only came all the way to attend this conference, he even addressed it — despite the President’s repeated policy statements against religious extremism. He must have come by permission or on orders of his boss.

The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore of September 9, 2005 gave the following headlines to report the proceedings of this conference:

Sharia punishment (death) should be imposed to check the activities of Qadianis. The government should ensure implementation of Anti-Qadiani Ordinance. Khatme Nabuwwat Conference. Qadianis should consent to being a Non-Muslim minority, otherwise a movement will be launched to legislate the Sharia punishment (of death) for apostasy. Column of religion be added to the Identity Card. Qadianis’ periodicals continue to violate the Ordinance by promoting apostasy. Their permission to publish should be cancelled, and Qadiani finances should be confiscated. Maulana Makki, Ahmad Siraj, Tahir Ashrafi, Maulana Ataullah, Maulana Yahya, Sheikh Zubair, Ilyas Chinioti and other Ulema addressed the final session of the Conference held at Chenab Nagar.

It reported the following in the detailed text:

Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, the Advisor to the Chief Minister “warned Qadianis to remain within the bounds of the Constitution. If the country’s constitution was correctly implemented, the situation in the country would be different, and there would have been no mischief.” Maulana Ilyas Chinioti said, “All printing presses belonging to Qadianis should be confiscated. If the government is sincere in curbing terrorism, it should round up all Qadianis of Chenab Nagar and carry out a search”. He demanded, “Criminal cases be registered against Qadianis for revolt against the Constitution and Jamaat Ahmadiyya should be banned, their funds confiscated and an inquiry held.” In a resolution a demand was made against Ahmadiyya TV Channel that “the government should ban its reception in Pakistan forthwith.”

As, such conferences openly violate the official policy of enlightened moderation, why permit their holding at a sensitive and targeted spot like Rabwah?

Chak 563 GB, District Faisalabad; September 9, 2005: Blatant provocation by a mullah of the Khatme Nabuwwat organization resulted in a brawl that led to the arrest of the mullah and two Ahmadis and registration of a criminal cases against them.

Muhammad Fayyaz claims to be an activist of Khatme Nabuwwat. For the last six months, this fanatic has mounted a campaign against Ahmadis and indulged in provocation and vulgarity. He drives a rickshaw for a living; however, he has got his rickshaw painted with anti-Ahmadi slogans: ‘Mirzais are Traitors of both Islam and the Country’; “Mirzais are infidels (kafir), Mirzai-supporters are also kafir, and the one who does not call a kafir, ‘kafir’, is also a kafir”. On the windshield of the rickshaw it is displayed boldly: “Curse on Mirzais”. He carries these messages of hate and provocation all the time, to all over where bed goes. The government’s declared policy is to suppress these messengers of communal hatred.

Two days prior to the incident, Fayyaz parked his rickshaw next to the residence of Mr. Muhammad Aslam, the president of the local Ahmadi Community. Mr. Aslam’s sons told him to go away as he had no business to be there. He went, but subsequently telephoned Mr. Aslam’s residence. A woman answered, to whom this bigot addressed very rudely. He came back again on September 9; but this time accompanied by his brother. He parked the rickshaw again in the vicinity and had a provocative exchange with Mr. Aslam’s sons. This led to a quarrel. The police was informed. They came, and arrested Fayyaz. His brother fled from the location. The police also arrested Messers Iftikhar and Wasim, the two sons of Mr. Aslam.

The police has registered a case against Fayyaz etc under PPC 295A, but also against the two Ahmadis under PPC 342, 148/149, 506/341 in FIR 530/05 at Police Station Landianwala on September 9, 2005. This is justice a la police in Pakistan.

The Annual Report on ‘Persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan’ of Year 2004 contained a detailed report on the plight of Rabwah (officially, Chenab Nagar), the headquarters town of Ahmadi Community in Pakistan. Chapter 10 of that Report put the situation on record. Any self-respecting administration would have taken note of the report and taken remedial action. However, that was not to be. Nine months subsequently the civic situation in the town has grown worse. It is now being reported by the national press. A few headlines from the vernacular press are reproduced below for anyone, who, for any reason, is interested in the human rights of citizens of a town inhabited by a marginalized section of society:

Some statements made by leaders who wield political and administrative power in the country should be placed on record for future reference so as to compare their actions with their words. In the month of September 2005, following was stated and reported in the national press:

President Musharraf said the following in his address to the Jewish Congress in New York on September 17, 2005: Each people, nation, and religion must live with each other, and do no harm to each other. Today, truly, we are our ‘brother’s keeper’. Extremism creates a fertile recruiting ground for terrorism. I have strongly advocated reform, social and economic progress and rejection of extremism in Islamic societies. Domestically, religious bigotry, hate campaigns and confrontational tendencies have to be curbed. This has to be done through bold, determined, well thought out and indigenously applicable strategies. Intimate cooperation and coordination of intelligence and squeezing the underworld funding of terrorists and extremists organizations will facilitate counter terrorism operations to a large degree. The daily Nation, Lahore; September 19, 2005

Lahore; September 16, 2005: The daily Jang claims, rightly, to have the largest circulation among the daily newspapers in Pakistan. It is published from Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Rawalpindi and Multan. Every Friday, it carries a feature page ‘Iqraa’ that is devoted to religion as promoted by the Jang. It is reasonable to assume that its contents play an important role in religious education and training of its readers. The Jang has hired a mullah, Maulana Saeed Ahmad Jalalpuri, who is allowed plenty of space in Iqraa, wherein he provides answers to questions raised by readers. His column is titled, “Aap ke masail aur unka hal” i.e. “Your problems and their solutions”. Hereunder we produce just one question and its answer given by the Maulana, and published by the Jang that does not tire of sermonizing from a high pedestal:

Well, how is this from the most widely circulated newspaper in this country of Enlightened Moderation? It is noteworthy that only two months ago the President ‘warned that stringent action would be taken against elements involved in printing, publication and distribution of hate material, including newspapers, magazines, handbills and pamphlets, and audio and video material” (The daily Dawn of July 22, 2005). Well said, but where is the action?

Some people wonder why the mullah still cries hoarse to have the Sharia implemented, while a large number of Islamic laws are already in the statute book. It is the above type of laws that the mullah misses badly. He would not be satisfied until hundreds of thousand of Ahmadis are arrested by the state and having been given three days to recant, are then all put to death as apostates.

It must be clearly stated that the opinion given above by the mullah and published by the Jang is only that of the mullah and his gang, otherwise the Quran makes no mention whatsoever of most what the mullah would like to pass as Sharia. In fact the Holy Quran prescribes no penalty for apostasy — La ikraha fid din (There is no compulsion in religion), 2: 257/258.

As this report is mainly about human rights, the reader is reminded that it was the Ahmadiyya press that suffered police raids last month, and 11 members of their press corps, editors, publishers, printers and managers are now facing criminal charges under Ahmadi-specific laws. Whither the much trumpeted enlightened moderation!

Rabwah; September 29 and 30, 2005: As if the outrageous conference of September 7, reported earlier, was not sufficient, the extremist lobby of Ulema organized still a larger assemblage in the Ahmadiyya town of Rabwah on September 29 and 30. While the government has banned gatherings of even Ahmadi women and children in their own town, it routinely permits the mullahs to converge here, a number of times every year to hold conferences with a message that would please the most virulent and aggressive bigots among the Taliban. The authorities permit and facilitate holding these conferences, perhaps in the name of Khatme Nabuwwat (the dogma of End of Prophethood), but under this cover the organizers and speakers promote their national and international political program. The authorities know it, as their agencies report the proceedings to their headquarters regularly on every occasion.

It would perhaps be no exaggeration to suggest that these conferences are the most provocative, unabashedly retrogressive and slanderous open-air religious gatherings anywhere. Militancy, agitation, profanity, intimidation, intolerance and zealotry are the standard and normal content of all speeches. Below, we quote what was splashed in the press, and also that which was too profane to be printed, however we shall still withhold that is plain abuse and vulgar.

Mullah Aziz-ur-Rehman Jalandhri said: “These wretched (Zaleel) Qadianis are a plant, planted by the English; they are active in Pakistan for recognition of the state of Israel…. There is no difference between Qadianis, Christians and Jews; Qadianis are a product of the English who want to put an end to Jihad.” Maulvi Abdul Qayyum Haqqani said, “The Pakistani President had the First Lady introduced to the Israeli President. He (General Musharraf) kneels down before the U.S.” Maulvi Abdus Sattar Taunsvi said, “Qadianis do not believe in Khatme Nabuwwat: they must be put to death (wajab-ul-qatl)”. Maulvi Nurrullah of Khanewal said, “Qadianis are apostates and infidels. We demand of the government that Qadianis be made to have a different kind of mosque and have different prayers, as the prayers they offer are those formulated by our Holy Prophet.” Mullah Saeed Ahmad Jalalpuri said, “They (Ahmadis) convert people through love and civility. Their civility is a pose; from inside they are blasphemous.” Abdul Malik, an MNA from NWFP (MMA) said, “General Musharraf has declared Mullah Omar, Osama Bin Laden and other Maulvis terrorists, at the instigation of the U.S; although the greatest terrorist is U.S. itself.” Nawabzada Mansur Khan of Muzaffar Garh said, “Qadianis have their headquarters in Israel. They have become more active since President Musharraf took over. When he talks of Enlightened Moderation, he does so on behest of Qadianis.” Maulvi Mushtaq Ahmad of Lahore said, “Qadianis are worse than the most unclean, and the U.S. is the greatest terrorist in the world.” Maulvi Abdul Hameed Wattoo said, “Mirzais are preparing to celebrate the centenary of their religion. The Ulema will efface even their name from the face of the earth.” Mullah Ahmad Mian Hamaadi who is on the pay roll of the government and is the instigator of dozens of cases against Ahmadis under Ahmadi-specific laws, said, “According to our law, Qadianis are infidels (kafir) and infidels must be put to death (wajab ul qatl).” Maulvi Muhammad Zawar of Sukker said, “Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani was an apostate and an infidel. His progeny are also apostates and swines.” Maulvi Fazlur Rehman, the Secretary General of MMA said, “Today, the U.S, the Jewish lobby and General Musharraf are bent upon putting an end to Jihad, while Jihad will continue till the Dooms Day. If we support the U.S, we are peace-loving, otherwise (we are) terrorists. Pervez Musharraf calls the Ulema terrorists only to please the Americans, although it was the Army (Faujis) who imparted the training for Jihad, provided weapons and taught how to operate under cover…Shaukat Aziz, the prime minister of Pakistan does not say his prayers, but preaches Islam to others. General Musharraf was dancing on the eve of Independence Day. What kind of Islam is this? Now to put pressure on the Ulema, the rulers are declaring their degrees as bogus. Hundreds of thousand of Mujahideen were gotten massacred in Afghanistan, and an attack on Iraq was supported; and Musharraf continues to side with the U.S.”

These are the glimpses of what was said in the five sessions of the conference. What went on behind the scenes is anybody’s guess. Maulvi Fazlur Rehman arrived at the scene in style, with full security and police protection. He led the Friday congregational service. The Nawa-i-Waqt reported that Khaksar leaders arrived with their contingent shouting slogans. Nawabzada Mansur Ali, the son of the deceased Nawabzada Nasrullah, an Ahrari leader, was given a rousing welcome. The police and administration had made elaborate security arrangements. The vernacular press displayed the conference reports under three-column headlines. Approximately 4000 persons attended; less than last year.

Ahmadi youth remained vigilante to defend Rabwah residents and their properties against any outrage by these sectarian extremists. Ahmadi women were advised to remain indoor during the two days to avoid any harassment.

Among the CDs on sale there was one that shows the maltreatment of Muslims in different countries, the destruction of the World Trade Centre, an interview of the Amir of Jundullah, a Jihadi outfit, and a few messages of Osama Bin Laden.

Obviously, such conferences at Rabwah are not about the religious doctrine of Khatme Nabuwwat; they are only a license to mullahs to pursue their political aims and objects; national as well as international. If the government is sincere about its drive against terrorism and extremism, it should put a stop to these conferences at Rabwah, the headquarters town of Ahmadis.

The reader would probably remember that the cabinet approved the restoration of the religion column in Pakistani machine-readable passport in March this year. It was done despite the fact that reportedly 9 ministers were against the restoration. Prior to General Zia, there was no religion column in Pakistani passport. General Musharraf took up the standard of Enlightened Moderation, but, on the ground, the leadership of PML(Q) finds the MMA its ‘natural allies’, so it placated the mullah and restored the religion column. Six months later, the weekly The Friday Times undertook a round of the passport office and published a report in its issue of July 22-28, 2005. The story is reproduced as Annex to this report. It makes interesting reading. It also shows how absurd and idiotic drives of the mullah affect the majority also, in the process of efforts to harm a smaller section of Pakistan’s citizenry.

Rabwah; August 28, 2005: The police raided the neighborhood of Naseerabad and took away Mr. Mubarak Ahmad at 0630 on August 28, 2005. They said that Maulvi Hadi had reported to them that Mubarak has a habit of switching on his audio cassette-player to listen to some poems that hurt his sensibilities. Subsequently, two police officials checked all the cassettes at Mubarak’s shop but found no cassette of the alleged poetry. During the inquiry, other non-Ahmadi shopkeepers testified that Mubarak does not turn on such cassettes. Other non-Ahmadis also supported Mubarak. At this, the police let go Mr. Mubarak Ahmad. It was a close escape for him.

1.

Mr. Muhammad Iqbal was awarded life imprisonment in a fabricated case of blasphemy. He was arrested in March 2004, and is now incarcerated in the Central Jail, Faisalabad. An appeal now lies with the Lahore High Court against the decision of the Sessions court. The case was registered against Mr. Iqbal under FIR 73/04 on March 23, 2004 at Police Station Tarkhani, District Faisalabad, Punjab.

2.

Three Ahmadis namely Messrs. Basharat, Nasir Ahmad and Muhammad Idrees along with 7 others of Chak Sikandar were arrested in September 2003 on false charge of murder of a mullah, at the complaint of Ahmadi-bashers. The police, after due investigation found nothing against all these accused. Still the innocent faced a ‘complaint trial’ for a crime they did not commit. Based on the unreliable testimony of the two alleged eye-witnesses (who were proven false in the court) the court found the seven Not Guilty and acquitted them, but on the evidence of the same two liars the court sentenced these above-named three innocent to death. They are lodged in death cell at Gujrat Jail, while their plea for justice lies with the Lahore High Court. It is now one year and 9 months that they are in prison. They were booked under FIR 455/03 dated September 4, 2003 at police Station Kharian Sadar, District Gujrat.

3.

Three Ahmadis namely Mr. Shahadat Khan, Mansur Ahmad and Hafiz ur Rehman were arrested in December last year on false charge of defiling the Holy Quran by burning its pages. They were arrested under PPC 295B for which the penalty is life imprisonment. Mr. Hafiz ur Rehman was not even present in the village on the day of the incident. FIR 280/04 was registered against the accused at Police Station Kassoki; District Hafizabad on December 18, 2004. The three are now incarcerated in prison at Gujranwala.

4.	Thirteen Ahmadis are in prison in District Bahawalpur on fabricated charge of blasphemy.

5.	The Kallarwala police of District Sialkot registered a case under the dreaded Blasphemy law PPC 295C against Mr Rana Ashraf, an Ahmadi school teacher at the fabricated complaint of one Nisar Rabbani who bore a personal grudge against the accused. The police arrested him a few weeks ago.

Fazl to address Almi Khatme Nabuwwat moot (at Rabwah) The News, Lahore; September 30, 2005

According to the Constitution of Pakistan, only Ulema have a right to (be members of) the parliament. — Fazl ur Rahman The Pakistan, Lahore; October 2, 2005

The Parliament shall legislate if Hijab is mandatory. There is nothing wrong with the Hasba Bill. According to some Ulema, it is obligatory to wear a beard. In an Islamic state, non-Muslims will have the status of a minority, by paying the Jizia Tax. Rulers have a duty to expand the Islamic state. - Dr. Asrar The Jinnah, Lahore; September 27, 2005

We shall continue our drive till complete extermination of Qadianiyyat. - Qari Shabbir Usmani The Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; September 27, 2005

Annual Counter-Qadianiat and Counter-Christianity Course held at Chiniot. 300 participated. The Khabrain, Lahore; September 29, 2005

Pakistan was not created in the name of Islam. Religious parties were anti-Pakistan. Pakistan was the result of political struggle. Every citizen has equal rights regardless of caste, color, and creed. - Dr Mehdi Hasan The Aman, Faisalabad; September 11, 2005

Maulvi Group of Chiniot declares support for Zulfiquar Ali Shah (for Tehsil Nazim). Maulana Ilyas Chinioti’s declaration in important session of Idara Markazia Dawat-o-Irshad The Din, Lahore; September 14, 2005

Mischief making by the Administrator of (Madrassa) Darul Uloom Deoband (whereby he, Maulana Marghub-ur-Rehman stated that the Quad-i-Azam was not even a Muslim) An article by M.A. Shamshad in the daily Khabrain, Lahore: September 1, 2005

Qadianis should stop calling themselves Muslims. - (Mullah) Muhammad Hussain Chinioti The more the Qadianis are crushed, the more there shall be peace in the country. Address in a conference. The Pakistan, Lahore; September 3, 2005

Qadianis and Lahoris do not believe in Jihad They should be removed from key posts. Their places of worship should be given a different shape. - Address to the Meraj-un-Nabi Conference at Chiniot The Pakistan, Lahore; September 4, 2005

Sharia punishment of apostasy (death) should be implemented to put an end to the Qadiani mischief. By declaring Qadianis ‘non-Muslims’ on September 7, 1974, the century-old mischief was put to an end. - Maulvi Faqir Muhammad The Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; September 7, 2005

Professor Tahir-ul-Qadri (of Tehrik Minhajul Quran) not allowed to enter France The Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; September 7, 2005

July 22-28, 2005

Enlightened moderates, take heart! There are 18 options to choose from in the religion column of Pakistan’s new machine-readable passports.

These range from the quotidian (“Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism“) to the curious (“Chinese Folk, Confucianism, African Ethnic, Judaism, Shintoism, Taoism, Spiritism, Atheism, Non-religionism, Other, Ahmadiyya“). That’s more religions than you can shake a papal sceptre at.

This is particularly enlightening since, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Statistics web site — which cites the 1998 census — of the 132 million people in the Islamic Republic 96.28% are Muslims, 1.6% Hindu, 1.59% Christians, 0.25% Scheduled Casts, 0.22% Qadiani, and 0.07% qualify as Others. The government’s decision last March to reinstate the religion column in the new passport thus demonstrates a healthy secularism.

Most Pakistanis would agree, one hopes, that the religion column on our passports is an impertinent imposition. More relevant information could have been included. For example: blood type, person to call in emergency, allergies or even favourite colour. There is no religion column on our remodelled national identity cards, why then do we need it on our passports? Because someday, somewhere, someone is going to ask us our religion, refuse to believe our answer and demand to see our passport. Our hard-to-fake machine-readable passport. That should save gents the desire to flash their religion otherwise.

There’s another barely reported change on the passport. The only English text on the cover sleeve of the passport is the name of our country. Not the official name, just Pakistan. The ‘Islamic Republic of’ prefix is there, coded in Urdu, guarded from the undiscerning eye of many an immigration officer. Before you begin to worry that’s too many changes too soon, be glad knowing that most important of caveats, “Valid in all countries of the world except Israel”, is still there. The caveat is important because it shows that, contrary to popular rhetoric, Pakistan is still being run by Pakistanis.

General Pervez Musharraf has acknowledged Pakistani people as strange, who say one thing and do another. The First Pakistani and his ministers are not immune to this discrepant bent. Last March, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz assuaged his liberal constituency by stating that the reinstatement of the religion column would not sound the death knell of enlightened moderation: Pakistanis would have the option to avail any or none of the options on the passport. Tell that to the hardworking men at Lahore’s Passport Office.

“I’d like to avail the option given to all Pakistanis by the Prime Minister,” I tell my data processor, a 25-year old from Mughalpura. And what option is that, he asks politely. “The freedom to choose my religion on the new passport.” He shares the buffet of options available to me. “Put me down as Atheist or Other.” Not so fast, he tells me, “We’re going in to talk to The Bosses.”

I’m taken to a room that appears to connect all the halls in the building. The creaking wooden door gives way to a small space lit with naked bulbs suspended from the ceiling, two computers and some impressively tall machines blink and whir in the background. There are a few beaten up faces perched on a few beaten up chairs. The data processor goes up to a moustachioed man sitting behind one of the computers and whispers something. This is one of The Bosses. I am told to sit down in front of him. Thus begins the inquisition.

“Now,” says The Boss deliberately, “what seems to be the problem.” None at all, I assure him, I am simply here to exercise my rights as a Pakistani. After all, the software that the Interior Ministry is using does give me 18 options to choose from. “Bhai, this is Pakistan. Everything is made in the US by people who don’t know the country,” he informs me. “And what you mean to tell us is that you were a Muslim but are no longer one?” he asks. I could feel the temperature dropping, the underlings drawing close. “Do you know what happens to Muslims who betray their religion?” I had some idea, yes.

Would the office toughie I had brought along with me to curb the crowd speak up? Would I be able to call someone who could bail me out? Would I make it outside the passport office? Perhaps this was not the place for an open-minded discussion on the freedoms supposedly guaranteed by the state. It was time to get the paperwork done and retreat to terra familiar.

Forty minutes later, after some talk of blasphemy laws, police stations and of course, the US, we’re back at the data entry station; the crowds have dissipated but I can feel stares of the righteous boring into my back. “Religion?” asks the young man from Mughalpura, deadpan. “Muslim,” I respond. “Speak up,” I’m told. Apparently that was not good enough for the whole room. “Muslim, Muslim, Muslim.” That should have everyone satisfied.

That wasn’t the end of the hurdles. All applicants must also sign on a rendition of the first kalma, the reciting of which officially welcomes one into the fold of Islam. The Passport Office’s “Declaration in case of Muslim,” is reproduced here exactly as it appears on the computer-generated application form:

I hereby solemnly declare that: 1. I am Muslim and believe in the absolute and unqualified finality of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) the last of the prophets. 2. I do not recognize any person who claims to be a prophet in any sense of the word or of any description what soever after Muhammad (peace be upon him) or recognize such a claimant as prophet or a religious reformer as a Muslim. 3. I consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani to be an imposter Nabi and also consider his followers whether belonging to the Lahori or Qadiani group to be Non-Muslims.

“This is ridiculous,” I tell the data processor, and he’s equally surprised by my second wind. What gives me the right to call anyone else a non-Muslim. His nostrils are flaring now. He puts a giant cross on my form and prepares to take me back inside. All I meant, I quickly tell him, was merely to ask where I should sign. We start over, again. When we come to the Declaration this time round, I have my pen ready. He curls his lip and points to the small x at the bottom of the form. This was my baptism.

The ink barely dry, I screeched off from this experience feeling the only thing I possibly could. Absolutely useless, not having been able to stand down a score of passport officers. The head swirled with engineered buzzwords that the government keep throwing around, these bathetic non-sequiturs that ring and grate and remind us of the controversies unresolved since 1947. I felt sorry for the General who must have had to deal with something like my experience at the passport office. But then again, I only had my office toughie behind me. He has an entire army.

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