PAKISTAN: Govt warned against amending blasphemy law

The conference chaired by JUP secretary general Qari Zawwar Bahadur ... warned rulers against giving lukewarm response to the deliberate and blatant blasphemies committed by the European press in the name of freedom of expression.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Int'l Desk
Source & Credit: The News Pakistan
Lahore | February 12, 2010

Leaders and representatives of over 30 religious parties of the country, while reiterating the universal stance of Muslim world that blasphemy of any kind was liable for death punishment, have stressed that neither rulers nor legislature or any court had the power to amend blasphemy law.

Addressing an All Parties Tahaffuz Namoos Risalat Conference under the aegis of Jamiat Ulema Pakistan (JUP) on Thursday, these leaders regretted that pro-west ruling elite of Pakistan had been from time to time trying to amend blasphemy laws. They warned the government that a movement would be launched in case rulers tried to carry out such unholy designs. They warned rulers against unholy wishes and asked them to rein in Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and some ministers who had been issuing irresponsible statements creating unrest.

The leaders also demanded President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to explain their position on the issue. The conference chaired by JUP secretary general Qari Zawwar Bahadur also warned rulers against giving lukewarm response to the deliberate and blatant blasphemies committed by the European press in the name of freedom of expression, saying it an organised attempt to enrage sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims and violating their religious freedom.

Mufti Ghulam Sarwar Qadri, Mufti Muhammad Khan Qadri, Pir Qutubudding Faridi, Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Engr Salimullah Khan, Ahmad Ali Kasuri, Safdar Shah, Pir Athar Qadri, Khalid Habib Elahi advocate, Maulana Tahir Tabassum, Khadim Hussain Khurshid Azhari, Mufti Gul Ahmad Atiqi, Safdar Ali Qadri, Abdul Shakoor Rizvi, Nawaz Kharal, Khadim Hussain Mujahddedi, Ghulam Shabbir Qadri, Prof Ahmad Raza, Ziaul Mustafa Haqqani, Abid Hussain Gardezi, Mian Ashraf, Shahid Gardezi, Naeem Tahir Rizvi, Pir Gulzar Saifi, Bashir Ahmad Yusufi, Bashir Ahmad Nizami, Naseer Noorani, Mansoor Jamaati, Tahir Dogar, Saleem Awan, Mufti Tasadduq Hussain, Rana Rehmat Ali and others attended the conference.

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