Punjab

Defiance of law: Tahaffuz rally speakers threaten courts

'Mumtaz Hussain Qadri is a hero of the Muslim ummah. Whoever criticises him... will have their tongues pulled out.'

Rana Tanveer January 18, 2011

LAHORE: The Mall saw yet another rally on Monday organised by Tahaffuz Namoos-i-Risalat Mahaz (TNRM). Several speakers at the rally lauded Mumtaz Qadri, the confessed killer of Governor Salmaan Taseer, and warned the courts of stiff reprimand if any order was passed against him.

Most shops and offices on The Mall were closed during the four hours the rally took to make its way from Data Darbar to the Governor’s House.

TNRM, a coalition of eight Sunni parties, organised the rally to pay tributes to the police guard who shot Taseer dead on January 4.

Speakers said there could be no punishment for Qadri and demanded his early release. TNRM vice president Dr Ashraf Jalali, who led the rally, told the participants that if Qadri was punished they would hold a long march to Islamabad and snatch all those responsible for it out of their offices. Jalali also issued a warning to the media not to extend invitations to those who criticised Qadri or spoke in favour of amending the blasphemy laws. “Mumtaz Hussain Qadri is a hero of the Muslim ummah. Whoever criticises him or Section 295-C will have their tongues pulled out.”

Jalali praised the police deployed in front of the Governor’s House saying that Qadri’s act had lifted the status of the entire police force.

The rally goers and their leaders chanted slogans against Taseer. The participants burnt pictures of President Asif Ali Zardari and other Pakistan Peoples Party leaders.

The 3,000 or so participants brought traffic and businesses on the The Mall to a stop. Roads leading to The Mall were choked with traffic and it seemed as if city life had come to a standstill for the hours the rally was in progress. Shops and offices on The Mall were closed for fear of a flare up but no untoward incident was reported.

Punjab Assembly members got their share of the firebrands’ wrath as they passed the Assembly building. “We curse every member of the Punjab Assembly for carrying a resolution in favour of Salmaan Taseer,” said a rally leader.

Some lawyers were also spotted in the rally. Advocate Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmed ‘congratulated’ the participants on Taseer’s death and said if Section 295-C was removed they would obey no laws. But, he also said no law was actually needed to deal with blasphemers as a few “true Muslims” were all it required to deal with them. He said no lawyer would appear before the court to prosecute Taseer’s murder.

Maulana Tasadduq Hussain, a Jaamiat Ulema Pakistan leader, said the media only invited a certain kind of religious scholar to debate blasphemy issues. He said those favouring Taseer or criticising Qadri were enemies of Islam.

TNRM secretary general Muhammad Ali Naqashbandi said the media should invite TNRM scholars for debate on blasphemy issues. He condemned the media for inviting ‘improper’ scholars to their talk shows.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (18)

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 13 years ago | Reply Just handover the government to them and then see how they will slaughter each other on issues of eligibility to enter Paradise(Heaven). These people are simply keeping themselves alive in the arena of politics. Surely someone from within and out are using them. Sooner the government acts the better for the whole country. Don't wait for that time when 10-17 yrs kids who are in millions come out as it happened in Karachi a day before under the leadership of JI. No one is against Blasphemy Law but it needs to revisit due to its misuse and application.

Abbas Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Only problem is International community and to buy their trust, Qadri will not be set free. Instead he will be provided so much luxury and freedom in jail, that Qadri would also prefer to stay there. Our moderates and liberals and their elected representatives know how to kill two birds with one stone.

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Romm | 13 years ago | Reply Nothing will happen to Qadri. Because law makers, politicians, beaucrats, policemen, all Are working on Dung Tupao Policy. We need Stalin here.

Jawad Rehman | 13 years ago | Reply Shouldn't the bar council of Pakistan cancel the license of this character Advocate Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmed - for violating his oath to uphold the law if he wants to practice it? We didn't expect much from the Maulanas of TNRM, but for educated lawyers to join this madness is an utter disgrace to the profession.

Habiba Younis | 13 years ago | Reply what RUBBISH!!!

Ben | 13 years ago | Reply Taseer murder in the name of blasphemy is a godsend opportunity which gives a cause to heretofore rejected clergy. They now have a cause to enter politics and everything is fair in politics. Read more at: link text

Syed | 13 years ago | Reply I say let them come to Islamabad. Round them up and punish each and every one of them !! Just like Mao of China did to the drug addicts of China. Enough is enough!

BinYamin | 13 years ago | Reply Their behaviour of putting every institution under siege, open threats to courts and society, vigilante justice etc fully justify the demand to repeal the Blasphemy Law as well as Sections 298 in toto. This Law, in absence of impartial law enforcing agencies and prevailing corruption in judiciary, acts as a double edged sword in the hand of a blind person. No other law invites threats to courts or vigilante justice as this one does. In other words this is state sanctioned persecution and a way to commit murder with impunity.

Ammar | 13 years ago | Reply What kind of state is this where these kind of people are tolerated who have the potential to bring death and destruction to people??? If no action is taken against these yahoos then we shall see every person carrying a gun and shooting at will. May God have mercy on our people and country!

M M Malik | 13 years ago | Reply The mullas are defending the high spiritual station of our holy Prophet (saw) by pulling out the tongues of ignorants. The mullas are at fault, as they have failed to enlightened the world of the highest spiritual station of our holy Prophet (saw). Mullas should educate and enlightened the world with the teachings of Islam through patience and love and not by the proverbial sword.

no joy | 13 years ago | Reply time for all the sane elements to run for their dear lives....as they rightly say >''Pakistan se zinda bhaag''

Shuaib | 13 years ago | Reply hero of the "Muslim ummah"? Woah woah woah - it seems wisdom has no limits when it comes to these people. They should take a look at the country first before worrying about the 'ummah.' Total idiots. I'm embarrassed we have people like these

bvindh | 13 years ago | Reply Oppurtunistic mob violence against the weak is the surest sign of cowardice in a society.

Haroon | 13 years ago | Reply Something's rotten in the state of Pakistan.

Syed | 13 years ago | Reply It seems that mullahs will face a crackdown soon before this turns into anarchy !

M.S.Shaikh | 13 years ago | Reply Imagine if the mullahs are threatening us this blatantly, what are the other foreign powers capable of. Also, what should we expect now....Mr. Qadri walking out of jail and garlanded even further! I have never seen cold-blooded murder being glorified this openly.

feroze | 13 years ago | Reply These Ignorant idiots are the ones who should have their tongues pulled out. Can the saner elements of the Ulema not talk to these Jahils who are taking the country back to the stone age!!

Sandy | 13 years ago | Reply Really sad day for Pak Moderates are in shock what is happening what gov. of Pak is doing. Handful of people have high jacked the peace of mind of millions of others

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