THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 28, 2017- Topic 2

Road to chaos: Pakistan's face-off with extremists

The long stand-off between the authorities and Islamist protesters on the edges of Islamabad, once again, has exposed the vulnerability of the Pakistan government while dealing with extremist groups. The protesters, led by a little-known group, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) paralysed the city by blocking the main road from Rawalpindi for three weeks, demanding the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid. 

The demonstrations were purportedly a response to a proposed change in the oath for lawmakers that moderated the mention of the Prophet. Islamist groups, with Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the chief of Tehreek-i-Labaik, taking the lead, alleged that this amounted to blasphemy. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi appeared to have no idea how to find a way out. He withdrew the proposed amendment in the wake of Islamist protests, hoping that it would pacify them. When the crowd started blocking the road to Islamabad, the government first ignored it, clearly underestimating Tehreek-i-Labaik’s capacity to sustain the demonstrations. When the protesters persisted, the authorities offered to hold talks. When that failed and its handling of the crisis came under judicial criticism, the government decided to use force, resulting in violent clashes between security personnel and protesters on Saturday, in which at least six people were killed and over 100 injured. Even then, the civilian leadership had to seek the Army’s help to broker a deal with the protesters. It was after Mr. Hamid resigned as Law Minister that Mr. Rizvi finally asked his supporters to disperse.

The way the government handled the crisis and its final capitulation, under military mediation, to the protesters’ ultimatum clearly point to the continuing erosion of executive authority. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) government, which suffered a massive setback in July when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified, is yet to recover its equilibrium. Mr. Abbasi must take part of the blame for what happened in Islamabad. He failed to act swiftly when the crisis broke. Instead, he waited and watched as the capital city was paralysed. By the time things came to a head, the military played its hand not just to help resolve the crisis but also to project the civilian leadership as being clueless. An equally worrying sign for Pakistan is that a political upstart with extremist views has showed it can hold the government to ransom. It is not clear whether Tehreek-i-Labaik has the support of the ruling party’s rivals. But the pace at which thousands of supporters were mobilised in Islamabad against the government reinforces the sensitivity of the blasphemy issue in the country’s politics. The growing street power of Islamist fringe groups, the reluctance of the government to take them on and the mediatory role the Army plays at a time when divisions among political parties run deep, all confirm the risk of instability in Pakistan.

Vocabulary

Expose: make something visible, typically by uncovering it.

Example: At low tide the sands are exposed

Synonyms: reveal, uncover, lay bare

Vulnerability: the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

Example: Conservation authorities have realized the vulnerability of the local population

Extremist: a person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, especially one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.

Example: Political extremists

Synonyms: fanatic, radical, zealot, fundamentalist, hard-liner, militant, activist

Paralyse: cause a person or part of the body to become partly or wholly incapable of movement.

Example: Mrs. Burrows had been paralyzed by a stroke

Synonyms: disable, cripple, immobilize, incapacitate, debilitate, torpefy

Demonstration: the action or process of showing the existence or truth of something by giving proof or evidence.

Example: It is not capable of mathematical demonstration

Synonyms: proof, substantiation, confirmation, affirmation, corroboration

Purport: appear or claim to be or do something, especially falsely; profess.

Example: She is not the person she purports to be

Synonyms: claim to be, profess to be, pretend to be, appear to be

Prophet: a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God.

Example: The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah

Synonyms: seer, soothsayer, fortune teller, clairvoyant, diviner

Blasphemy: the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.

Example: He was detained on charges of blasphemy

Synonyms: profanity, sacrilege, irreligion, irreverence, taking the Lord's name in vain

Pacify: quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of.

Example: He had to pacify angry spectators

Synonyms: placate, appease, calm down, conciliate, propitiate

Persist: continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition, or failure.

Example: The minority of drivers who persist in drinking

Disperse: distribute or spread over a wide area.

Example: Storms can disperse seeds via high altitudes

Synonyms: scatter, disseminate, distribute, spread, broadcast

Ultimatum: a final demand or statement of terms, the rejection of which will result in retaliation or a breakdown in relations.

Example: Their employers issued an ultimatum demanding an immediate return to work

Synonyms: final offer, final demand, take-it-or-leave-it deal, threat

Crisis: a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger.

Example: The current economic crisis

Synonyms: emergency, disaster, catastrophe, calamity, predicament

Ransom: a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner.

Example: All but one have now been released, but only after millions of dollars in ransoms were paid.

Synonyms: payoff, payment, sum, price

Reinforce: strengthen or support, especially with additional personnel or material.

Example: Paratroopers were sent to reinforce the troops already in the area

Synonyms: augment, increase, add to, supplement, boost, top up

Fringe: decorate clothing or material with a fringe.

Example: A rich robe of gold, fringed with black velvet

Synonyms: trim, edge, hem, border, bind, braid, decorate, adorn, ornament

Instability: lack of stability; the state of being unstable.

Example: Political and economic instability

Synonyms: unreliability, uncertainty, unpredictability, insecurity, riskiness