Mammoth Pak rally demands Taseer assassin’s release, Blasphemy Law bill withdrawal
By ANIMonday, January 10, 2011
KARACHI - A conglomerate of religious and politico-religious parties organised a mammoth “Tahaffuz Namoos-e-Risalat” rally in the Pakistani metropolis on Sunday, and demanded of the government to immediately withdraw the private bill seeking amendments in the controversial Blasphemy Law.
Hundreds of thousands of people belonging to all religious schools of thought attended the rally and warned the government to desist from becoming a party to the ‘conspiracies’ hatched to repeal the law, The Nation reports.
The leaders of these parties announced that they will hold a public meeting and Long March on January 30 in Lahore, if the government did not accept their demands.
They vowed that they would not tolerate any conspiracy to amend the law, and that they were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sanctity of Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
The participants of the rally, who were carrying the portraits of Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of liberal politician Salman Taseer, included activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami, the outlawed Jamaatud Dawa, the JUI-F, chanted slogans of “Death to Blasphemer” and “Down with USA”, and urged the government to immediately release Qadri from detention.
Addressing the huge rally at Tibet Centre, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded the withdrawal of the private bill that was tabled in National Assembly seeking amendments in the blasphemy law.
He also urged President Asif Ali Zardari to immediately dissolve the parliamentary committee that was formed to review the blasphemy law, and warned that the people of Pakistan would not tolerate any word spoken against the Holy Prophet.
“Evil forces want their agenda implemented in Pakistan to violate the sanctity of Prophet (PBUH)”, said Fazl, and declared that the entire nation was united to protect the name of the Holy Prophet.
The chief of JUP and TNR, Dr Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, said that historical meeting of TNR was a referendum against those who wanted to repeal the Blasphemy Law.(ANI)
