LAHORE: Chanting slogans like “Shias are infidels” and demanding the release of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) co-founder Malik Ishaq, members of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamat protested outside the Lahore Press Club on Friday.
Around 60 to 70 members of ASWJ had gathered to demand the release of Ishaq, who was sent on 14-day judicial remand to Kot Lakhpat jail. A case had been registered against Ishaq on August 9 after he had given a “provocative speech to spread hatred” during a Khatm-e-Nabuwwat rally near Lahore.
Ishaq’s son, Malik Muhammad Usman, who is also deputy president ASWJ in Rahim Yar Khan, told The Express Tribune, “Peaceful protests were carried out by ASWJ across Punjab, the biggest was in our hometown, Rahim Yar Khan.”
ASWJ says that protests were taken out in Lodharan, Multan, Bhakkar, Faisalabad, Chicha Watni, Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur.
Protesters in Lahore said that the sectarian conflict will end if the government places a ban on literature which “insults” the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and the court declares the death penalty for those who do the same.
ASWJ is known to be the political wing of the banned militant outfit, Sipah-e-Sahaba(SSP). Protesters were seen carrying placards of the SSP.
Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi, chief of ASWJ, also admitted that they had changed their name after the ban on SSP.
COMMENTS (13)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
All due respect to the companions (sahaba) of prophet Muhammad (SAWS) but if they were so important that not following them would be a sin punishable by death then they all should've been a part of Kalma-e-tayyab or Kalma-e-shahadat. However, whether Sahaba are followed or not, they should be duly respected and insulting them in public should be lawfully dealt with, just like in the case of Thailand where anyone who insults the Thai king (considered a divine figure) in any manner is swiftly imprisoned for 10-20 yrs depending upon the gravity of the insult.
@M Mudassar kambo: There is a sizeable population in the country who dont agree with your view so would u like these terrorist to kill all of them . This is the fact of the islamic history that there were differences between them but they lived with those differences with dignity. An even today all over the world muslims r living peacefully while maintaining their differences it is only in our country that blood of innocent is being flowing on the streets of the country by these lovers of the campanions of prophet.
Nab all of them, and throw them in Arabian Sea.
Where were the drones? They could all be struck in one go!
@Eye well said my brother!
ASWJ is SSP. They're worse than the Klu Klux Klan and they should be locked up. But instead we parade them in shows like DPC as Wahhabi/Salafi/Deoband/Sunni Islamist extremism has gone mainstream.
Malik Ishaq is not 'peaceful' as these lying insane extremists and terrorists claim. This flimsy 'literature' excuse and censoring any criticism, won't end sectarian conflict. They'll use this or any other lie as pretext forever for any imagined insult to continue their Sunni supremacist ideological sectarian cleansing and genocide of all Shia Pakistanis.
People say Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and two nation theory was used as a tool to get a separate homeland for Muslims. Now that Muslims have settled in their new homeland the demands started for separation and Bangla Desh came into being. I suggest that a survey should be conducted to create more provinces based on MASLIK. Sunni Barelvi, Sunni Deobandi, Ahle Hadis, Shia (seveners) Shia ( eleveners). As soon as this is done mayhem, target killing, Talibans inroad in Karachi and other places will be over.
They're all together - perfect time to arrest everyone of them.
"Protesters in Lahore said that the sectarian conflict will end if the government places a ban on literature which “insults” the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and the court declares the death penalty for those who do the same."
Such fools. A legion of the damned all of them.
No amount of death penalties and bans on literature can clean the blood off early Muslim history. No amount whitewashing will change the fact that the family of Muhammad (pbuh) was sidelined, betrayed and persecuted by the ones who usurped leadership while the Ummah watched silently.
There is no point in banning an organization. it immediately comes up with a new name. The menace of shia killing will continue till our government will keep it's eyes closed blaming everything on external forces. The likes of Malik Ishaq should be hanged as he openly confesses of being responsible for killing hundreds of shias. What is chief justice doing other than saving his corrupt son. Where is suo moto for brutal shia killings. He is actually a sympathizer of these radicals as can be seen in his observations in Lal Masjid case.