Demonstrations against sacrilegious film: One killed, three injured in K-P

PESHAWAR:

Protests against an anti-Islam film raged across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring three others where clashes erupted between police and protesters.

Following the law and order problems in Upper Dir, the government announced that all educational institutions, both public and private, would be closed for three days. In light of the violent protests, provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain asked the US to take action against the filmmaker. Inaction will gravely endanger peace and tranquility, in addition to US interests in the region, he said.

“The movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’ has hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims and peace-loving people around the world, which is unacceptable to us,” said Hussain, addressing a press conference to clarify the government’s position. Hussain also appealed to the website’s owners, who uploaded the video, to voluntarily delete it for the sake of humanity. He asked the federal government to use diplomatic channels to inform the US about the strong sentiments regarding the blasphemous movie.

Peshawar

Student organisations and activists of political parties continued protests in Peshawar for the fifth consecutive day. Students associated with the Islami Jamiat Talaba blocked the main University Road and burnt tires and US flags amid chanting slogans against the United States. The nearly 500 protestors marched from Agriculture University towards University Road.

Mardan

Teachers and students of government schools staged a protest against the blasphemous movie in Bakhshali, Mardan. They blocked traffic on Bakhshali road for two hours, demanding a death sentence for the accused filmmaker and the expulsion of the US ambassador.

The khateeb of Central Jamia Masjid Eidgha, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, said the movie should be protested at all forums. “The US has hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in the guise of freedom of speech. We will not hesitate to take an extreme step. We will sacrifice for the protection of the sanctity of our Holy Prophet (pbuh).” Representatives of political parties were also present at his address.

DI Khan

Hundreds of lawyers of the district bar and high court bar association boycotted courts. The president of the bar association in DI Khan, advocate Salim Jan, led the protest. The demonstrators marched towards the Rescue 15 office, where lawyers addressed the crowd.

The protestors criticised the government for being silent on such a crucial issue. They also claimed they would sacrifice their lives for the Prophet (pbuh).

Bannu

Students of the University of Science and Technology, Bannu Medical College, Post Graduate College and Anjaman Tehjeran Haqqiqi held rallies in front of the Bannu Press Club to protest the film. The protestors, numbering in thousands, demanded that the US ambassador be expelled and diplomatic relations be stalled. They also demanded the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to make appropriate laws to protect the dignity and honour of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). All educational institutions, shops and markets in Bannu city remained closed during the protests.

Kohat

The Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl organised a protest from Mohala Perachgan, which passed throughout Kohat city. Around 350 people participated in the demonstration.

Tank

Court proceedings were also boycotted by the district bar association of Tank where the public had similar demands of ending relations with the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2012.