The month of Ramadan is soon upon us, and with this holy month full of blessings and lessons, come the usual misplacing of priorities and focus on inane issues by the state. The sacred month purports to teach us the values of patience and brotherhood, but instead of furthering those values, the Pakistani state tends to focus its energy on frivolous issues, such as implementing draconian anti-eating laws or regulating Ramadan talk shows.
Take for example the recent order by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui directed to ban all programmes containing lottery and gambling on TV channels during Ramadan.
On a first glance, this order could pass as just another humorous decision of the court. After all, who amongst us hasn’t been annoyed by the absurd Ramadan specials, with their giveaways and competitions? Justice Siddiqui’s order would wipe out a lot of shows, including those aired by PTI’s Amir Liaquat.
However, when it comes to legal precedents, this order damages the court’s credibility. IHC is one of the country’s highest forums for justice. The court is highly respectable and should not be involved in fluff such as banning Valentine’s Day or Ramadan specials. There is already a backlog of cases to be heard by the IHC, and the fact that the IHC chose such a frivolous one adds insult to injury. It is telling to see that the several land-grabbing and housing related cases in Islamabad have not been heard or implemented, but this issue was considered important enough to be taken up.
Justice Siddiqui passed the order because it was the responsibility of the state to ensure no action against Islam occurs. You would think injustices and deprivation of rights are heavier violations in an Islamic state but apparently, the kinds of Ramadan specials we air require more attention.