Focusing on the primary

The following article  "Focusing on the primary" by Aziz Ali Dad , source “The News July 03, 2010"

In Pakistan we are always bogged down in secondary issues, because we ignore the basic questions of which of these issues are merely by-products of the primary one. That is why we are constantly entangled in futile discourses and hair-splitting arguments which lead to no conclusions. The controversy surrounding the appointment of Maulana Sherani, a rural cleric from Balochistan who is said to possess no academic qualifications, as chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, is a case in point.
After the establishment of Pakistan, the religious right succeeded in pushing progressive forces into a position where they have to confront their opponents on secondary issues. The primary question is: should the Council of Islamic Ideology be there, in the first place? Established in 1962, the council is entrusted with the task of advising government and legislative bodies on laws that are arguably repugnant to Islam. This has given the council an overriding status, the right to issue rulings on decisions of sovereign institution, including parliament.

For more details: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=248577