By Michael Ireland, Senior Reporter, ASSIST News Service answritermike@gmail.com
(ANS - ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, Jan.29, 2015)
-- The Islamabad High Court this week held its first hearing in the
appeal against the death sentence of Mumtaz Qadri, who confessed to the
killing of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.
The Pakistan Christian Post (www.pakistanchristianpost.com)
says Qadri justified the governor’s murder by stating that he had
killed him for supporting Asia Bibi, a Christian woman whom Taseer
believed had been wrongly convicted of committing blasphemy. The appeal
was heard by two-members of division bench of IHC’s comprising of
Justice Noor ul Haq Qureshi and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and
adjourned until February 3.
According
to the Pakistan Christian Post, Mumtaz Qadri, a constable in the Punjab
Police and member of its elite force, had filed an appeal before the
court on October 6, 2011, challenging the death sentence awarded by
Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi Judge Syed Pervez Ali Shah on
October 1, 2011. The judge was later forced to flee the country after
receiving death threats.
The Pakistan Christian Post
reports that throughout the whole country, protesters from Sunni Tehrik
have been chanting slogans in favor of Mumtaz Qadri's release and warned
the Government of “dire consequences” by wall chalking, play cards and
banners in the streets. He is considered a "hero" of Islam by Sunni
Tehrik. Reportedly, hundreds of Sunni Tehrik and Shabab-e-Milli Tehrik
were present outside the court and chanted slogans in favor of Mumtaz
Qadri. Chairman Sunni Tehrik Dr. Zafar Iqbal Jalali lead the rally.
The newspaper says strict
security arrangements were reportedly made, and the road to High Court
was blocked with barricades and a large number of police and special
force personnel were deployed at buildings in the surrounding areas.
The newspaper reports that
Advocate Sardar Mushtaq Gill, Human Rights Defender and head of LEAD,
said the human Rights Defenders had “great concern” about this appeal in
the case of Qadri. He said that if Qadri would be acquitted from the
Salman murder case then there would be an increase in fear of insecurity
of life among them. It stated the fueling of religious intolerance and
violence will (only) be stopped “by condemning such elements of society
who take the law in their own hands by harassing peace workers.”
The newspaper said the blasphemy
law is being misused against religious minorities for personal vendetta
and to harass them. It explained the Pakistani Church is under constant
fear of attack from religious extremists and resultantly it has
deliberately stopped enjoying religious freedom and liberty.
The paper commented: “We have to
take steps to promote religious freedom and liberty; and to discourage
violence in the name of religion. Our request (is) to remember Asia Bibi
in your prayers who is languishing in jail since 2009 in a false
allegation of blasphemy.”
Photo: The governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, with Asia Bibi. This meeting would cost him his life.
No comments:
Post a Comment