By: Aman Bonjovi
Gilgit-Baltistan has always been a beautiful example of tolerance, mutual respect and communal harmony. People of different schools of thought have been living together in peace and harmony here for centuries. But in recent times, a worrying trend has been emerging – cases are being registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on charges of insulting religious sanctities, and our youth and students are becoming its biggest victims.
The Anti-Terrorism Act was intended to protect the country from serious threats like terrorism. This law was made against those elements who pose a real threat to the lives and property of the state and citizens. But unfortunately, now the same law is being applied to the youth as a result of bitter discussions on social media, misunderstandings or emotional reactions.
The increasing number of FIRs on charges of religious insult in different police stations of Gilgit-Baltistan indicates that our society is moving towards intolerance. Often, young students are involved in such incidents who, out of ignorance, emotion or ignorance, post or comment something, and then suddenly find themselves named in a terrorism case.
Once a case is registered under the ATA, it is not just a legal action but a lifelong stigma. The educational future of such youth is ruined; admissions to colleges and universities become difficult, scholarships are closed and job opportunities are almost gone. Social stigma is not the only thing, and the rounds of courts, police stations and prisons further increase the mental stress.
It is worth thinking that a student who could have become a doctor, engineer, teacher or researcher yesterday, is today cut off from society due to the burden of cases. If this trend continues, it is not unlikely that in the coming years our educational institutions will be empty and the courts will be full of youth.
The roots of this problem are not only in the misuse of law but also in our collective attitudes. Religious intolerance, irresponsible use of social media, lack of legal awareness and the quick criminalisation of minor disputes are making this crisis even more serious.
It is time for us as a society to think seriously. Strict laws like the ATA should be limited to genuine terrorist incidents only. Scholars, social leaders and teachers should go ahead and promote tolerance, dialogue and mutual respect. It is also essential to educate the youth in educational institutions about the responsible use of social media and religious sensitivity. Similarly, a community-level mediation system should be activated to resolve minor disputes so that matters do not reach the police station.
It is the joint responsibility of both the state and society to consider the youth not as criminals but as the builders of the future. If we do not guide them today, tomorrow this same despair may put them on paths from which there is no return.
We have to decide:
Do we want to hand over our youth to courts and prisons, or do we want to give them a bright future through education, awareness and tolerance?
The need of the hour is that we promote balance in the use of law, tolerance in social attitudes and decency in disagreement because safe youth are the guarantee of a safe society.
Therefore, the youth must now decide whether they are completely destroying their future or become a ray of hope for their parents and create a beautiful bright future for themselves.
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