Historical Lies and Modern Deceptions: A Continual Struggle for Truth”

1. Historical Lies and Modern Deceptions: A Continual Struggle for Truth”

By Imran Ali Khan

Social media is like a “blind man’s foot on a partridge.” In recent days, PTI’s official pages and its supporters have been actively promoting a statement attributed to PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira. This statement is supposedly based on a conversation between Kaira and the army chief. A post attributed to Hamid Mir claims, “The watchman is being made a scapegoat in the alleged assault on a student at Punjab College; an important figure is actually responsible.” Another post allegedly from former U.S. President Trump urges, “My Pakistani friend Imran Khan’s life is in danger; step out to save him.” Additionally, a post linked to Raoof Klasra suggests that Imran Khan is being tortured under the supervision of a colonel in jail.

A significant number of people on social media have shared these posts. Notably, the individuals named in these post Hamid Mir, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Rauf Klasra have denied their association with them.

News about an alleged assault at Punjab College’s Gulberg Girls Campus spread like wildfire, leading to protests in Lahore, Gujrat, and Rawalpindi, some of which turned violent. Initially, rumors circulated that three watchmen were killed by students, but Gujrat police later confirmed the death of a watchman due to student violence.

In one viral video on social media, protesting students are seen taking valuable items from their college, reminiscent of the style of Bangladeshi thieves. Another video shows not only students but also some outsiders engaging in vandalism.

A committee consisting of the Chief Secretary, IG Punjab, and Advocate General Punjab has compiled a report on the incident. According to this report, the alleged assault did not occur, and students were incited through organized fake news and videos. While this incident is telling, a viral video features a woman claiming to be the mother of the alleged victim, detailing the incident. Did the FIA, police, or the three-member committee record her statement? If not, why?

The Chief Justice of Lahore High Court has ordered the formation of a full bench regarding the alleged assault case. Should we expect the court to summon this woman claiming to be the victim’s mother to testify?

We believe the court should also call the student who appeared alongside Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz during her press conference, where she was abruptly silenced when she began to recount the facts. Questions arise about why her microphone was turned off when she was about to reveal the truth.

The preamble has been lengthy, but it was necessary as we discuss four other alleged rape cases that are currently under scrutiny. Those who firmly believe in the truth of these events rely solely on social media posts without any solid evidence. These are the same individuals who question why there was such a significant protest if the incident didn’t occur, why the police resorted to violence, and why arrests are happening.

Several disgraced YouTubers have also contributed to this narrative, some even chanting calls for revolution, particularly figures like Sabir Shakir, Major Raja Adil, and Shaheen Sahbai.

Now, let’s discuss why lies sell more than the truth in our society. Can we start this conversation by referencing Muslim history?

I have a straightforward answer: the history of Muslims, often incorrectly referred to as “Islamic history” in our context, has been cloaked in religious sanctity. Discussing it now feels risky, fearing someone might emerge from the shadows to issue a fatwa for heresy or blasphemy.

I once tasted the repercussions of such a fatwa during an event led by Bilawal Bhutto in my birthplace, thankfully accompanied by friends like Mir Ahmad Kamran Magsi. Otherwise, I would have faced dire consequences for my comments.

Allow me to digress briefly; if we start discussing the arrival of Muslims or Islam in the Indian subcontinent, it would also be intriguing.

For instance, when Hajjaj ibn Yusuf sought permission from the Caliph to invade Sindh, he cited that the ruler Raja Dahir had seized a ship en route to Sri Lanka, holding captive women who wrote to Hajjaj. Thus began the invasion of Sindh. Hajjaj inscribed the Quran, which remains unchanged after 1,300 years, but why didn’t the letters from the women survive?

The lie concocted to justify the invasion of Sindh has persisted for 1,300 years, and those who oppose it face ridicule, often labeled as descendants of Raja Dahir.

Similarly, labeling the rule of the Ghulam, Lodhi, and Mughal dynasties as Islamic regimes is another white lie. This falsehood continues to be propagated through our educational curriculum. The invasions by figures like Mahmud Ghaznavi are mischaracterized as Islamic campaigns. When Mahmud Ghaznavi invaded Multan, an Ismaili Muslim government was in power, and his forces committed massacres and looted, taking thousands of women and young men as slaves to Ghazni for sale.

Referring to the educational institution of Raja Parhalad as a temple of monotheism is yet another falsehood. The partition of the subcontinent occurred over fears that Hindu majorities would infringe on the rights of the Muslim minority. This claim was debunked in April 1947 by Muhammad Ali Jinnah during an interview with American journalists, where he warned, “America should remember that Pakistan, created by partition, will prove to be an ally against the godless Soviet Union.”

This interview exposes the true nature of the partition. The blame for the riots during partition lies with Hindus and Sikhs, another misleading narrative. The riots were initiated by Muslims, leading to the massacres of Hindus and Sikhs in places like Rawalpindi and Lahore’s Shah Alam Market.

For those interested in details about these matters, refer to the works of Husain Haqqani, Muhammad Hafeez Khan, and Kuldeep Nayar.

Among the many lies that have persisted in our political history are claims that the Jamaat-e-Islami participated ideologically in the formation of Pakistan, or that Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his family were Indian agents, or that G.M. Syed was a traitor and an enemy of Islam. It’s also claimed that Bhutto’s original name was Ghasiram and that he wasn’t genuinely a Muslim.

Secularism is viewed as godlessness, and its advocates are believed not to trust sacred relationships.

Since the onset of the Zia regime, the creators of fifth-generation warriors have branded democracy and democratic systems with every available insult in the market. Those who perceive the two-party system as against the military establishment’s interests have cultivated a lie that they now must reap.

In short, lies have always been sold in our society with pride. There is much more to say on this topic, but that can wait for another time.