NOTED Islamic scholars and leaders have strongly criticised Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and PPP government for commuting of death sentence into life imprisonment, calling the act as un-Islamic and aimed at pleasing the West.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday by noted scholars of all schools of thought, they warned that the actual purpose of the act was to commute death sentence for blasphemers under 295-C PPC which had been a long and pressing demand of the West. These scholars unequivocally stated that any ruler or parliament had no powers to annul the death punishment in respect of crimes stated in the Holy Quran and Sunnah. In case of murder, only the heirs of the victims have the right to pardon, they added.
The statement was issued by president Ittehad Tanzimat Madaris Deenia Maulana Saleemullah Khan, Tanzimul Madaris president Mutfi Muneebur Rehman, Wafaqul Madaris president Qari Hanif Jallundhary, president Wafaqul Madaris Salfia Maulana Naeemur Rehman, Wafaqul Madaris Shai president Maulana Niaz Hussain Naqvi, president Rabitarul Madaris Maulana Abdul Maalik, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmad, president Muttahida Ulema Council Maulana Abdur Rauf Malik, Maulana Khurshid Gangohi, Jamia Naeemia principal Dr Mufti Sarfraz Naeemi, Ameer Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Conference Maulana Ilyas Chinnoti, president Ittehadul Ulema Maulana Inayyatulah Gujrati and Asadullah Bhutto.
They demanded the government immediately retract the clemency summary sent to the president for approval. They maintained that the death punishment was awarded on the crimes like murder, dacoity, to married adulterer (male/female both) and to the person who committed blasphemy. Even the apostate is subjected to death punishment in Islam. “No one is empowered to pardon these capital punishments,” they warned.
The Islamic scholars and political leadership regretted that the infidels were ruthlessly killing the Muslims across
the world.
The rulers are not able to question their bombardment inside Pakistani areas which is claiming the lives of their own subjects while on the other hand they are more concerned about pardoning those who disregarded humanity by committing nefarious crimes.
They further said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, by announcing the commutation of death punishments, had exposed himself and his party that they did not believe in keeping Pakistan an Islamic state and wanted to turn it secular by amending the Quranic injunctions.
