Pakistan: Muslim mobs demand Chief Justice’s resignation
for saying Ahmadiyya man has ‘right to religion’
How can Mubarak Sani have a “right to religion” when the Qur’an directs Muslims to “fight them until persecution is no more and religion is all for Allah” (8:39)?
Pakistan: Islamist mobs descend into Supreme Court premises, demand Chief Justice’s resignation for saying Ahmadiyya man booked for blasphemy has ‘right to religion’
OpIndia, August 20, 2024:
The “Sar tan se juda” mob comprising thousands is protesting in Pakistan against Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Isa, who was appointed the Chief Justice of Pakistan in November last year has been facing death threats and protests since February this year after he ordered the release of a Ahmadiyya man Mubarak Sani. On the 29th of May, a three-judge bench including Chief Justice Isa, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan reserved its decision.
The fresh protests erupted after the court on 24th July accepted the Punjab government’s plea alongside those of several Islamist organisations seeking a review of its February ruling and said that the right to profess religion and religious freedom, as ensured by the Constitution, is subject to law, morality and public order. A hearing on these pleas will be held on 22nd August.
The protesting Islamists are demanding CJP Faez Isa’s resignation. On 19th August, a large number of protesters from various Islamist groups breached Islamabad’s highly secured, Red Zone storming the Supreme Court entrance gates to protest the Pakistan apex court verdict in the Mubarak Sani case.
In the February ruling, Justice Isa granted bail to Ahmadiyya man Mubarak Ahmad Sani who was accused of blasphemy in 2019 over distributing pamphlets promoting his religious beliefs. Sani was convicted under the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) (Amendment) Act, 2021, however, the 3-judge bench led by Justice Isa noted that Sani was charged for an offence not criminalised until 2021. Consequently, the top court granted bail to Sani and ordered his immediate release. Soon after, the TLP and other Islamists launched a hate campaign against Qazi Faez Isa. In Peshawar, around 3000 people blocked the roads in February and raised slogans like “Death to Qadianis” etc. The agitation of Islamists compelled the Supreme Court to issue a statement ‘defending’ its decision in the Mubarak Sani case.
Notably, the Islamist outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has even placed a bounty of 1 crore Pakistani rupees on Judge Isa’s head. Pir Zaheerul Hasan Shah, the second top leader of TLP, placed this bounty.
“TLP aside, as a momin [faithful Muslim] and a slave of Prophet Muhammad, I announce in my capacity to give one crore [ten million] rupees to any person who beheads Faiz Isa who desecrated the law of the country, kicked the blood of 10,000 martyrs and permitted Marzai [Ahmadis] and hurt the feelings of Muslims,” Shah said in a rally….
Pakistan authorities arrest man for spreading
disinformation on Southport stabbing
Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A man was arrested in Pakistan for spreading disinformation that helped spark anti-immigrant unrest in Britain after the Southport stabbing, authorities said.
Pakistani law enforcement told the BBC that the man, Farhan Asif, was arrested on suspicion of cyber terrorism, as they connected him to a website that posted false information about the alleged attacker in the stabbing on July 29 that left three girls dead and 10 others injured.
The website, called Channel3Now, posted in the hours after the attack a fictitious name for the suspect. More information on the website suggested that the suspect was an asylum seeker who reached Britain on a small boat, a stereotype used to describe poor immigrants arriving from other countries.
The false information went viral on social media as violent far-right unrest in England and Northern Ireland erupted after the stabbing.
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency interviewed Asif in DIG Kamran, where he allegedly runs his news platform alone. The FIA said that Asif admitted to posting the information after supposedly gathering it from social media.
The ritos have led to a wave of arrests as Kieran Usher became the first adult to face rioting charges in connection with the far-right unrest in Britain last Friday. He did not enter a plea in South Tyneside Magistrates' Court and is expected to return to court on Friday in Newcastle Crown Court.
Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, died during the stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, of Lancashire, was charged with three counts of murder and 10 charges of attempted murder.
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