25 April 2005	Monday	15 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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PESHAWAR, April 24: Civil society groups here have condemned the recent killing by a mob of a blasphemy suspect in the district of Nowshera and have called upon the government to arrest the killers and the cleric who had issued the edict for his murder. Different groups, including the Joint Action Committee of Civil Society Groups, the People’s Awareness Movement (PAM), Labour Party Pakistan and the Peshawar District Bar Association in separate statements and meetings condemned the incident and termed it a barbaric act.

The People’s Awareness Movement has requested the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court to take notice of the incident and order arrest of the culprits.

In a press release issued here on Thursday, the convener of the PAM, Advocate Fazal Ilahi, asked the government to immediately suspend the police officers who were present at the place where the incident took place and let the mob kill Ashiq Nabi.

He also asked political parties and human rights bodies to condemn the killing.

The Labour Party Pakistan said the young man was a victim of one of the most controversial laws introduced by military dictator Ziaul Haq. Dozens of innocent people have been victims of the law.

LPP leader Tariq Shahzad said that the present military government had proposed procedural changes in the law but its efforts were thwarted by fundamentalist lawmakers.

He added that the incident had exposed the government which championed the cause of liberalism and moderation in society.

“We condemn the incident and demand that the government take action against the killers who have been sheltered by the fundamentalist regime in province,” Mr Shahzad said.

He added that the central government should immediately repeal the blasphemy law as well as all other laws which discriminated against women and religious minorities.

A member of the NWFP Joint Action Committee, Ms Bushra Gohar, said: “This one is the latest in a string of cases of violence in the province and there seems to be a general encouragement and support for such criminal acts by the MMA government.”

She said: “As if an increase in violence and oppression was not enough, the insignificant and opportunist opposition in the provincial assembly gave the Senate seat vacated by Commander Khalil on a platter to the MMA in exchange for some personal gains.”

An emergency meeting of the Peshawar District Bar Association, presided over by the acting president Abdul Lateef Khan, asked the government to constitute a judicial tribunal to probe into the matter.

The meeting expressed concern over the killing of Ashiq Nabi, who had been on the run to save his life after he was charged by local clerics of Speenkhak in an FIR registered at the Pabbi police station.

Mr Sher Afgan Khattak said the deceased had four children and he was the sole breadwinner of the family.

He added that according to some people, his wife had claimed that her husband had desecrated the Holy Quran after an altercation with her.

Without any investigation, the man was killed in an unIslamic and illegal manner.

Now, Mr Khattak added, the wife of the deceased was claiming that he was a pious person and offered prayers five times a day.

He regretted that at the time of the killing police was present nearby but did not do anything to stop the mob.

He added that Islam had not authorized any individual to take law into his own hands and kill a person.