Governor urges scholars to help curb extremism

LAHORE : Governor Ch Sarwar has said taking the law into one’s own hands on the basis of mere accusation is contrary to Islamic teachings.

There is no room for violence and extremism in Islam. Scholars should play a positive role in curbing extremism, he said in a statement issued here on Saturday, adding Sialkot incident is a disgrace to the whole nation.

Those who are responsible for this heinous incident will be brought to law at any cost. Prime Minister Imran Khan is supervising the investigation, those responsible will not be able to escape, the governor said.

Ch Sarwar, on the incident of killing a foreign national and burning his body in Sialkot, said there is no doubt that the Sialkot incident is very unfortunate and an insult to Islam and human dignity.

Those involved in such incidents are bringing Pakistan into disrepute in the world. This tragic incident is being condemned by scholars from all schools of thought but there is a need for all political and religious parties to unite in order to protect the country from extremism as well as religious extremism, he added.

Ch Sarwar said Prime Minister Imran Khan has clearly stated that those involved in this incident will not be forgiven under any circumstances.

The arrests have begun already and those responsible will be punished according to the Constitution and law. The minorities in Pakistan will be protected according to the vision of Quaid-e-Azam, he added.

He said the incident of burning a foreigner alive on the pretext of blasphemy was very sad and embarrassing for 220 million Pakistanis.

Prime Minister Prime Minister Imran Khan himself is monitoring the Sialkot incident and the government has a clear policy that no one will be allowed to take the law into one’s own hands. Relevant agencies including the police will ensure that such incidents do not happen in Pakistan in future, Sarwar said.

TLP demands impartial inquiry: Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has reiterated expressing sorrow and grief over the senseless killing of a Sri Lankan manager of a private factory in Sialkot, saying it fully stands with the heirs of the victim and Sri Lankan people in this grief.

A TLP spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday that TLP has always condemned injustices and misuse of every kind of law, and it has always expressed sympathies and support for all the oppressed. The spokesman said this incident is tragic but attributing it with TLP is more unfortunate and utterly unjust, adding that the country cannot tolerate any bloodshed and riots.

He said TLP has always condemned the misuse of blasphemy laws for personal or political use and it was the reason it has always demanded rule of law and dispensing of justice with blasphemy accused.

He warned that by cashing in on this ugly incident, the anti-Pakistan forces wanted to create an atmosphere of chaos, anarchy and civil war in the name of religion to crush religious forces in Pakistan. According to the Constitution of Pakistan, every citizen has religious freedom, whether he is a Hindu or a Christian.

One knows that the colonial powers have been trying for a long time to promote linguistics, nationalism, provincialism and sectarianism in Pakistan. Now, once again, by staging riots in the name of the rights of minorities, such forces wanted to divert public attention from the systematic and willful blasphemy of Holy Prophet (PBUH) and use to revoke this law.

The spokesman said the blasphemy law is the biggest obstacle in the way of secularizing Pakistan. Muslims should stay awake and try their best to thwart the secret plots to snatch Muslim identity and ideology of Pakistanis. The TLP spokesperson demanded that a transparent and impartial investigation be carried out keeping in view all the aspects of the incident and the conspiracy behind the incident and that the culprits be arrested and punished. When the requirements of law and justice are met in the country, no one has the courage to take the law into their own hands, he concluded.

Scholars flay Siaklot incident:

Noted Islamic scholars affiliated with Darul Ifta Pakistan, a platform of Islamic studies and jurisprudence, have termed the Sialkot killing of a Sri Lankan citizen as an attempt to discredit Islam and Pakistan, saying such fanatism and lawlessness has nothing to do with Islam.

This was stated by the Grand Mufti of Darul Iftaa Pakistan Mufti Omar Farooq in a statement after holding a meeting with the Special Assistant of Prime Minister of Pakistan for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East affairs and Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi on Saturday.

Other scholars in the joint statement included Mufti Falak Sher, Mufti Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Mufti Imran Muawiyah, Maulana Noman Hashir, Maulana Aslam Siddiqui, Maulana Abu Bakar Hameed Sabri, Maulana Zubair Khatana, Maulana Usman Butt, Maulana Ehsan Hussaini and Maulana Aziz Akbar Qasmi.

They said Sialkot tragedy was a conspiracy against Pakistan and Islam. The teachings of Qur'an and Sunnah are clear that no person can be convicted on the basis of an accusation without investigation. There are laws regarding blasphemy against the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The assassins of the Sri Lankan manager have acted in the presence of anti-blasphemy and blasphemy laws which cannot be justified. They said accusation of blasphemy requires complete caution and complete research to reach correct verdict. They demanded government should take stern action against such elements.

Sialkot tragedy indicates collapse of justice system: Shujauddin

Tanzeem-e-Islami (TI) ameer Shujauddin Shaikh has termed the tragic killing of a Sri Lankan citizen in Sialkot a violation of Islamic edicts and a disgrace for Pakistan.

Vehemently condemning the incident of the lynching of a factory manager of Sri Lankan origin by a mob of factory workers on charges of blasphemy, Shujauddin Sheikh said in a statement on Saturday that Islam sternly forbids people from taking the law into their own hands and causing corruption in the land. He said when the criminal justice system of Pakistan has laws in place to deal with the alleged desecration and blasphemy of religion and religious values and symbols, and then it is incumbent on all to abide by that instead of perpetrating chaos and corruption in the land. The truth of the matter is that such dreadful incidents where people take law into their own hands clearly indicate the failure of our law enforcement agencies and collapse of our legal justice system, as well as demonstrate the lack of faith of the masses in the justice system.

He lamented that scores of people stood at the crime scene making videos, which is a damning indictment with regards to the moral bankruptcy of our nation as a whole. He demanded a transparent investigation and award exacting punishment to all those involved in taking the law into their own hands and causing corruption in the land.