District and sessions judge Chaudhry Waseem Iqbal directed Shah – who represents Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – to appear before the court on October 28. He also ordered Sindh’s inspector general police (IGP) and station house officer (SHO) Brigade police station to appear on that day.
The petition was filed by nine applicants, who claimed that Shah had committed blasphemy by saying that he regarded the word ‘Mohajir’ a derogatory term.
The petition said that Khursheed Shah had made this remark while addressing journalists at Jinnah Bagh on October 17.
The petition contented that the word ‘Mohajir’ has been repeatedly used in the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his companions were themselves ‘Mohajir’ as the had migrated to Madina on the order of God and therefore Khursheed Shah has committed blasphemy.
The petitioners claimed that after hearing Shah’s comments, they approached Brigade police station and asked the police to file a case against him but the police refused. Later, they said, they also sent a request to the IG Sindh but he also did not take any action.
The petitioners have requested that an FIR be registered against Shah under Pakistan Penal Code Act 295-A, 295-B and 295-C.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2014.
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