Murder of writer condemned

Activists condemned the recent killing of intellectual, critic and poet Dr Shabiul Hassan.

Civil society, writers and activists on Monday strongly condemned the recent killing of intellectual, critic and poet Dr Shabiul Hassan.

Among others, Chairman Pakistan Academy of Letters Abdul Hameed while giving a tribute to Hassan, said that writers are reformers and they preach peace to readers through their writings. Hameed said that in a society where writers are not secure, peace will remain an elusive dream. He demanded an investigation into the murder at the earliest so that the murderers are brought to justice.

Meanwhile, a Shia scholar has demanded of the government to set up a judicial commission to probe what he called the “genocide of innocent people” at a conference on Islamic reawakening in Islamabad, stated a press release issued by the organisers.

“The country has been handed over to killers and terrorists,” said Allama Sajid Naqvi, while addressing participants of the conference at the main Shia imambargah in G-6/2 on Sunday. “There is no rule of law, as terrorists who have killed hundreds of innocent people are roaming freely.”

“The government should unveil the truth relating to a suicide attack on Karachi’s Ashura procession in 2010, during which close circuit television cameras were jammed and shops were set on fire,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2012.