February 24, 2006	Friday	Muharram 25, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Federal Minister for Population Welfare Ch Shahbaz Hussain on Thursday warned general public against playing in the hands of opposition parties on the issue of blasphemous cartoon.

Speaking at a press conference, he termed the opposition parties’ protest was aimed at achieving political gains.

“The government has no objection to peaceful protest demonstration as it could not allow violence,” the minister said.

Referring to violence in Lahore and Peshawar, he said initially, the organizers of the protest demonstrations had agreed to peaceful rallies. “Government cannot allow burning of public property,” he said.

Every single Muslim around the world was saddened to see the sacrilegious caricatures of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and they registered their protest through peaceful manner.

Similarly, the government raised the issue at various international fora—OIC, UN, EU etc— and registered its concern with the Danish government as well.

However, the opposition parties had made it a political issue and persuading general masses to violence and unrest in the country, he said.

He said the government had also decided to send a parliamentary delegation under the federal minister for religious affairs to the EU to brief their parliamentarians on the grievances of Muslims over the blasphemous issue.

To a question the minister said,”I see it a conspiracy against Muslims, hence, we have to be very careful and instead of burning our own houses should adopt other ways of protests”.