Referring to the Joseph Colony incident, he said that only the guilty deserve punishment and not the entire community. PHOTO: FILE
The Christian community cannot even think of committing blasphemy as it pays equal respect to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) and the Holy Quran as Prophet Isa (a.s) and the Bible, said Minister of State for Minorities Akram Masih Gill on Sunday.
Addressing a rally staged by Christians outside the Punjab Assembly building, he said it was the need of the hour that Muslims and Christians unite against the common enemy.
Referring to the Joseph Colony incident, he said that only the guilty deserve punishment and not the entire community.
He appreciated the role of media in highlighting the incident.
The minister of state urged Muslim Ulema to work for interfaith harmony so that such incidents do not happen in future.
Citing the incidents of Gojra and Sialkot, the minister alleged that the Punjab government has failed to protect minorities.
The minister accused anti-state elements of spreading religious intolerance in the society. According to him, both internal and external forces were working to destabilise the country. However, he appeared confident that that such elements would not succeed in their aims.
He said that minorities have remained loyal to the country and that their services especially in health and and education sectors cannot be neglected.
Prime minister telephones
Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Sunday telephoned Akram Masih Gill and the Advisor on National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti and directed them to contact the affected families of Badami Bagh incident and remain in close contact with them for extending any assistance.
Prime Minister Ashraf further directed Bhatti and Gill to assure the affected people of Badami Bagh incident of all possible assistance by the federal government.
Ashraf while talking to them said that non-Muslim Pakistanis have equal rights as other citizens of the country. He said that neither religion nor moral values allow violence against believers of different faiths in any form or manifestation. He assured that the government will take all possible measures for the protection of lives and properties of the non-Muslim Pakistanis.
He said that in this regard the government will coordinate with all the provincial governments to evolve a better strategy to prevent such incidents in the future. It may be mentioned here that the prime minister took strong notice of the incident when he was informed during his visit to Ajmir Sharif, India.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2013.
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The man who accused the Christian fellow himself committed a sin by drinking which is not allowed in Islam hence he must be tried for blasphemy.
Blasphemy need a better and a more exact definition. It has been said that the accused man was drunk. He was not in his senses and yet his drunken statements carried such weight that an entire residential colony was reduced to ashes? What about the accuser who was drunk with his Christian friend? Was he also punished for his un-Islamic act of drinking or are only non-muslims punished for crimes against Islam?
...and still the focus is on whether there was blasphemy or not, rather than whether it is so bad if someone disagrees with what you think, and how is it that people believe in an almighty power and still think this power is so fragile that it rests on people's opinions.