Rizvi’s death clouds party’s future
islamabad — In life, radical cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi took a hardline stance against country’s religious minorities and incited nationwide riots, all the while issuing pleas for the nuclear annihilation of European nations.
But following his sudden death on Thursday, days after leading a paralysing anti-France rally in the capital, the military hailed him as a “great scholar” and Prime Minister Imran Khan offered his heartfelt condolences — both likely wary of the power of his movement.
No cause of death has been announced for 54-year-old Rizvi.
An official at the hospital where he died said the wheelchair user had been suffering from a high fever and breathing problems, but no Covid-19 test or autopsy were conducted.
Rizvi had weaponised the sensitive issue of blasphemy and radicalised large swathes of Punjab, opening a new chapter in country’s violent confrontation with extremism.
In just a few short years, the cleric, known for his profanity-laced speeches and theatrical gestures, gained mass support and rose to become one of the country’s most feared figures.
“In some ways, he was even more dangerous than the Taleban, with his supporters not limited to remote tribal areas, but present in large numbers in the country’s heartlands,” said Omar Waraich from Amnesty International.
“(Rizvi) figured out that in Pakistan, true power can be commanded in the streets, where you don’t need the highest number of votes — just the highest number of armed supporters.”
His Tehreek- e-Labbaik Pakistan party (TLP) held a three-day antiFrance rally that ended after he claimed to have forced the government to agree to his demands.
Since 2017, Rizvi and the TLP have succeeded in dictating terms to successive governments who fear sparking any backlash from religious groups.
The cleric forced the resignation of a federal minister and the firing of a leading economics adviser.
And in 2018, the TLP brought the country to a standstill with riots following the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi, who had been falsely accused of blasphemy.
The party has also called for the assassination of Supreme Court judges, pleaded for a mutiny in the armed forces and vowed to wipe out European na
In some ways, he was even more dangerous than the Taleban, with his supporters not limited to remote tribal areas, but present in large numbers in the country’s heartlands. (Rizvi) figured out that in Pakistan, true power can be commanded in the streets
Omar Waraich
Amnesty International
tions such as France and the Netherlands with Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
Whether the TLP can hold its momentum without the charismatic Rizvi is unclear. “The TLP already has an extensive support base. His lifeline was his narrative and his narrative was still intact,” security analyst Amir Rana said. “The TLP will remain on Pakistan’s security
and political landscape for a longer time and leadership may not be a big factor.”
However, columnist Zahid Hussain chalked up the TLP’s victories over the years to government weakness rather than its actual strength as a political force. “I don’t think anybody could provide the type of a leadership he had,” he said.
“It was more of a personal following than an ideological movement.”
“A dangerous extremist ideology now has a political platform that is driven by young, radicalised individuals that have witnessed the ability of street power in achieving their objectives, rather than going through democratic institutions,” said Arsla Jawaid, a analyst with Control Risks. —