News Desk |
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri brushed away the rumors of Aasia Bibi leaving the country on Monday while addressing a Tahafuz-i-Risalat conference in Lahore on Monday. He said, “Asia Bibi is very much in Pakistan,” dismissing the reports of her flying out of the country as sheer propaganda.
About the altercation of Section 295-C (blasphemy law) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), Minister said, “The PTI and every person of the government would protect Article 295-C of the Constitution.” Talking about the protests episode after the acquittal of Asia Bibi– a Christian woman, accused of blasphemy– he said that review appeals should be brought in sensitive cases to the courts instead of staging protest demonstrations.
The TLP is notorious for spreading anarchy and violence in the name of avenging blasphemy.
“The review petition is with the Supreme Court and all of us should wait for the final verdict instead of resorting to violence on the roads,” Mr. Noor said. Appreciating the efforts of PM Khan, Mr. Noor said, “It was Prime Minister Khan who through his diplomacy persuaded the Dutch government to cancel the competition of blasphemous caricature. “
Read more: Has Asia Bibi been transported out of Pakistan?
‘New Pakistan’ would be built on the basis of the state of Madina and Holy Prophet’s honor, he said, adding, “Every Muslim is committed to the respect and finality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) because this is an essential part of the faith. That is why the PTI government is this time observing Eid-i-Miladun Nabi at the official level and (with) religious fervor.”
Asia Bibi was acquitted by Supreme Court on 31st October that led to violent protest across the country in the leadership of TLP. Public and state properties were set ablaze, routine business was halted, and institutes were accused. The protests only ended after the dialogue between the state and leaders of TLP. One of the clauses of the agreement was to put Asia Bibi’s name on the Exit Control List.
The review petition is with the Supreme Court and all of us should wait for the final verdict instead of resorting to violence on the roads.
Although the legalities of that are in question, News had been circulating in media that Asia Bibi had left the country as she was released from Multan Jail on Nov 8. Not only national but international media too disseminated misinformation related to the sensitive matter of Asia Bibi as the news contradicted the agreement, GVS reported earlier. Foreign office and information minister issued a statement denying the news reports, urging media to be responsible, as such fake news could lead to protests again.
Read more: Asia Bibi or Geert Wilders? Dutch Embassy in Islamabad closed for…
The Asia Bibi case has brought out a dangerous faultline in the society where religious sentiments are used for violence and politics. The TLP is notorious for spreading anarchy and violence in the name of avenging blasphemy. While some have blamed the government for caving into extremists, others have praised the government to have avoided bloodshed and used the cooldown period after the protests to isolate and arrest violent elements.