Taseer’s murder: Religious right heralds the assassin as ‘hero’

Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, other religious organisations take out rallies to “celebrate” the assassination of Salmaan Taseer.

GUJRAT: Jamaat Ahle Sunnat and other religious organisations took out rallies to “celebrate” the assassination of Governor Salmaan Taseer, marked by aerial firing and tributes to the assassin, Mumtaz Hussain Qadri. Central chief Alami Tanzeem Ahl-e-Sunnat Pir Muhammad Afzal Qadri, who led the rally, declared the assassin a ‘hero of the Muslim world,’ adding the government should not take any action against him.

Declaring Jamaat Ahle Sunnat’s support for the assassin, Afzal Qadri praised him “for killing a blasphemer.”

“We will pursue [Mumtaz Hussain Qadri’s] case in the court,” he said, adding that the media should not call Taseer shaheed (martyr) and should call the assassin Qadri a ghazi (hero).

Meanwhile he also announced a 40 day celebration on behalf of Jamaat Ahle Sunnat to mark Taseer’s assassination.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2011.