Pakistan

Hundreds protest possible pardon for Aasia

Protest rally by banned outfit Jamat-ud-Dawa warns of anarchy if Aasia pardoned for blasphemy.

Afp November 27, 2010

LAHORE: A religious party has threatened protests and anarchy if the government pardons Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman who has been sentenced to death for blasphemy, calling hundreds of demonstrators onto the streets on Friday.

Demonstrators marched in Lahore after the Sunni Ittehad Council urged the government to not grant clemency to Aasia Bibi a mother of five.

A crowd of several hundred called for “jihad” and pledged to sacrifice their lives to protect the honour of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The rally was organised by a subsidiary of banned charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which the United Nations has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation.

“We will hold nationwide protests if the government pardons the Christian woman,” the subsidiary’s chief coordinator, Qari Yaqub, told participants.

Politicians and conservative clerics have been at loggerheads over whether President Asif Ali Zardari should pardon Bibi, who was sentenced on November 8 to hang under controversial blasphemy laws.

“The pardon will lead to anarchy in the country,” the head of the Sunni Ittehad Council, Sahibzada Fazal Kareem said. “Our stand is very clear, this punishment cannot be waived.”

Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti presented a clemency plea to the government late Thursday on the grounds that the case against Aasia was based only on personal enmity.

Pope Benedict XVI has also called for Bibi’s release.

But Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Zardari, hinted on Friday that the presidency would instead wait for Bibi’s appeal in the Lahore high court.

“The summary for a pardon has not yet been received from the prime minister. It is also premature as a sentence awarded by a sessions court cannot be implemented until it is endorsed by a high court,” Babar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (16)

Masroor | 13 years ago | Reply I would request everybody to be responsible while commenting, criticism should be constructive, dont spread hatred here, give your opinion without hitting anybody keep following things in ur mind while commenting here be tolerant be responsible be polite dont be offensive dont disrespect anybody dont spread hatred Try to understand others think before posting ur comment the consequencies of ur comments you have the rights to disagree, you have the rights to spread your opinion but you dont have the right to insult anybody so be carefull, we should utilize such forum constructively!!!

Aamir | 13 years ago | Reply Kui batlaai ke hum batlaain kia. In this mater, role of media and politicians remained very crucial who ran for breaking news and political scoring. Aasia may have got pardon from High Court, Supreme Court or from President at merit if it had not been so much publicized. May our people ask ALLAH for the right path and not the Mulla.

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Aman | 13 years ago | Reply As an Atheist I can only laugh at these people. How feeble is the god who is offended by it's own creation.

SKChadha | 13 years ago | Reply @ maz: Link for you: http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4633589

Haris Chaudhry | 13 years ago | Reply Looking at the picture, a bunch of illiterate, highly charged, blood hungry bigots that have no value for justice, rule of law and human life !

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply And you wonder why the rest of the world thinks poorly of Pakistan?

Raqib Ali | 13 years ago | Reply I, like many Muslims, would like to see Asia BB free. Why force someone to admit that she said things against our prophet... When someone say they didn't, blaming them is blasphemy itself.

Anoop | 13 years ago | Reply "The rally was organised by a subsidiary of banned charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which the United Nations has blacklisted as a terrorist organization." --> Isn't this the same group which attacked Mumbai? Just tells you that such kind of groups are more dangerous to the host country than its target. It has been unable to strike India after Nov 2008 but its very easy to hurt Pakistan for them. They will follow the path of least resistance. Well, you reap what you sow.

nina | 13 years ago | Reply We have rapists, paedophiles, kidnappers, looters, and murderers running around freely in Pakistan and the ignorant people of our society are protesting this one non-muslim woman's behaviour....they obviously have too much time on their hands. This case is obviously being politicized and I wonder to whose advantage?

M M Malik | 13 years ago | Reply @mehsud Comparing Aasia and Afia in unfair, they follow Hazrat Isa (as) and we follow the Holy Prophet (saw) who was Rahmat lil Alameen and just not Rahmat lil Muslameen..

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 13 years ago | Reply See this photograph very closely. They are all from certain Madressah and School Of Thought. People who are not satisfied unless someone is hanged or lynched must be marked as dangerous citizen on their ID Cards or in the records of their parents or guardians. They are dangerous for the the whole society and in general to the very existence of Pakistan. They want blood nothing less.

mehsud | 13 years ago | Reply let the court to decide the fate of Aasia Bibi, our government is following the rules given in the constitution of the state and not overriding nor treating the case partially. So leave the court to decide as the americian court did in the case of Dr Afia, Pakistani Muslim.

maz | 13 years ago | Reply @Skiander could u please provide a link for the statement that you have given above . Thanks in advance

Sikandar | 13 years ago | Reply That is nothing to worry about, not hundreds even thousands will protest because us see as per UN estimate "According to the UN, around 34,000 women paramedical workers have gone missing from the flood affected districts of Pakistan, a media report said Saturday." And women in pakistan say they are safe. The women following their own religion are not spared you expect a minority Lady will be left. And mind you all the women did not vanish in floods _ I guess you all get me. So much so for Freedom.

User | 13 years ago | Reply Imagine coming out on the steets to award death penalty to someone who has committed a mistake which cannot even be proved .. and just sitting like ducks and watching our politicians loot the national money. Just SAD!!

M M Malik | 13 years ago | Reply A general pardon on the fall of Mecca did not lead to an anarchy but a poor illiterate Christian woman being pardon leads to threats of anarchy. The regression is very sad.

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