Rally staged against blasphemous cartoons
Participants of a protest rally against blasphemous sketches pass through Murree Road in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. PHOTO: JAMIL MIRZA/EXPRESS
With emotions charged over the issue of the blasphemous sketches of Holy Prophet (PBUH) a leading religious scholar gave call for refraining from violence or any such act that could hurt the dignity of the country in the comity of the nations.
Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle Sunnat Pakistan Head Syed Hussain Uddin Shah appealed to the organisers of Rabiul Awwal 12 processions to refrain from diverting the rallies to Islamabad as it would create problems for the government and army.
He was leading protest rally against profane sketches of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The protestors demanded the ousting of the French ambassador from the country and boycott of its products at state level.
Two protest rallies were taken out in Rawalpindi under Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle Sunnat on Wednesday.
The demonstrators called for the boycott of French products and demanded of the government to send back the French ambassador after declaring him persona non grata.
The rallies taken out from Raja Bazaar and Satellite Town merged on the Murree Road and culminated at Faizabad.
The protesters set caricatures of the French president on fire as a sign of protest over his Islamophobic comments.
The protesters held banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the French president for supporting anti-Muslim acts.
While addressing the participants, Shah said that the entire Muslim world was in an agony after the vicious measures of the French government.
He expressed that the Muslims around the world were ready to lay down their lives for the protection of the sanctity of the last messenger.
However, Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle Sunnat Pakistan head appealed to the organisers of Rabiul Awwal 12 processions to refrain from diverting the rallies to Islamabad as it would create problems for the government and army.
Shah instead demanded the Prime Minister Imran Khan to start a campaign to boycott French products at the state level and oust the French ambassador after declaring him unwelcome person.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2020.