Religious leaders show mixed reaction to blasphemy law amendment

LAHORE: Religious leaders belonging to Sunni and Ahle Hadith schools of thought lauded the passage of the legislation enhancing the punishment for desecration of Sahaba (RA), Ummahatul Momeneen (RA) and Ahle Bait (RA), terming it a big step towards controlling sectarian conflicts, while those of Shia school of thought rejected it as imposing the will of majority.

President of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) Allama Zubair Ahmad Zaheer praised the members of National Assembly for passing a historic legislation upholding the honour of the Muslim sacred personalities and block the doors of incitements for igniting the sectarian strife, which has been plaguing the country for over four decades.

Addressing a meeting along with party leaders Prof Adnan Faisal, Mian M Asghar and others, Allama Zaheer, who is also ameer of his faction of Jamiat Ahle Hadith, paid tributes to Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali and other MNAs for doing a great service by tabling this vital law to strengthen national unity and close the doors of sectarianism and corruption at the behest of external forces. He demanded government to implement this law immediately and indiscriminately.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) supreme council chairman Qari Zawwar Bahadur and information secretary Rasheed Rizvi termed it historic legislation which is vitally important to shut the doors of sectarianism and establish religious peace in the country.

They said upholding the honour of sacred Muslim figures is essential pillar of Muslim faith and those miscreants violating it must be punished to maintain sectarian harmony in the society. On the other hand, spokesperson of Tehrik Jafaria Pakistan Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi, in a statement, rejected the law by amending section 298 A CrPC terming it imposing of the will of majority on others.

He said without first defining the terms insult, blasphemy and their scope and restrictions any legislation would amount to imposing one-sided and biased views of majority on the people. Terming the legislation controversial, the spokesperson said it will prove extremely

dangerous for the internal security and harmony and it can lead to unrest,

chaos and division in the society.