After the APS massacre the government introduced a National Action Plan (NAP) with the purpose of curbing extremism in the country. One of the policy proposals set out in the NAP was banning the publication and distribution of hate literature. /1

To help in the implementation of this the provincial government of the Punjab constituted a board of ulema to help identify those publications which incited religious hatred, which was essentially akin to having the fox guard the henhouse. /2

In any case these ulema instead of banning actual hateful publications targeted the Ahmadi community and proposed that all the books of the founder of the community be banned as well as all newsletters and monthlies and periodicals. /3

They did not produce any excerpts of hate material from these books or magazines, or any examples of terrorism or extremist violence committed by an Ahmadi that was inspired from these texts. There argument was that anything published by Ahmadis was intrinsically hateful.../4

...and offensive because it hurt the sentiments of Muslims. The Punjab government of course complied. Since then all the books of the founder of the community have been banned, as have Holy Qurans published by the community, the community’s daily newsletter.../5

...and even Tehsheezul Azhan, a children’s magazine whose sole content was kids stories and puzzles. Ahmadi homes have been raided to see if they are in possession of any of these publications, bookshop owners have been arrested.../6

...as well as people who have shared excerpts from these texts on social media platforms. As the history of Pakistan has shown most of Pakistan’s worst dystopian tendencies are trialled on minorities first and in particular the Ahmadi community. /7

So please believe me when I tell you that the latest legislation regarding the future publication of books really is the beginning of a huge curtailment of freedom of speech, thought and expression and will have the worst kind of authoritarian and totalitarian repercussions. /8

I know this because it is my work and also because our community speaks from five decades of experience. What we also know is that when these authoritarian laws have been passed against us, whenever the rulers of this country have chosen to oppress us, very few have spoken out /9

It’s just Ahmadis, “aap log to badshah log hai, aap ko kya faraq parta hai” (as one of Pakistan’s most prominent liberals once said”, it doesn’t affect us so let’s just keep our heads down and stay quiet. /10

And while this attitude prevailed and as people chose to look after their own interests and refused to learn the lessons of history, the very worst, most evil and restrictive mindsets of the state consolidated themselves and now they have come for everyone as they always do. /11

Remember: “first they came for the socialists and I did not speak out...”? Well this is literally that. And I know many people are upset but it’s too late now, it’s just too late. /12

For too long people have turned a blind eye to the worst execces of the state towards minorities. For too long people have gone out of their way to excuse the old political classes (the Shahbaz Sharif government by the way was the one which introduced the ban mentioned).../13

For too long people have happy to excuse their own inaction, because this stuff wasn’t effecting them. For too, too long, and it’s too late, and everyone will now have to learn to live in the same suffocating conditions we’ve been forced to survive in for over five decades. /14

Somethings need to be stood up to and fought against right from the beginning.

“Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak.” /15

Sometimes I really want to call out and expose the liberal who said the “aap badshah log hai” thing but that’s not how I roll to be honest and people have a right to hate their private conversations remain private.

Also call me bitter, vindictive, vengeful, whatever, but I have absolutely no sympathy for PPP and PML-N apologists at the moment crying about how they won’t be able to read their favourite books anymore. You are part of the problem.