March 15, 2006	Wednesday	Safar 14, 1427

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MULTAN, March 14: A man accused of blasphemy in Muzaffargarh district was sent to jail on judicial remand amid charged atmosphere on Tuesday. A local government contractor, Abdul Sattar Gopang, was accused by Maulana Abdul Rasheed of the Aalmi Majlis Tahafuz-i-Khatam-i-Nabaut of uttering blasphemous remarks against God and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

According to the FIR registered with Jatoi police station, Sattar Gopang manages an octroi picket on Jatoi-Chowk Permit road near a seminary run by Maualna Rasheed. A truck driver Muhammad Akram and Sattar exchanged hot words on Monday evening over the ratio of octroi fee. Later, Sattar allegedly beaten up the driver black and blue.

When the driver begged mercy in the name of Allah and the Prophet (PBUH), Sattar allegedly used abusive language against them and kept on beating him. Maulana Rasheed claimed that he and Maualna Ataullah were preparing for the Maghrib prayer when they heard Sattar using abusive language against the sacred personalities.

Meanwhile, hundreds of other people also gathered on the spot as protest calls were made from various area mosques.

Sattar, however, managed to sneak away from the scene before being manhandled by the angry mob for hurting their religious feelings.

He was later rounded up by a Jatoi police team headed by inspector Khalid Rauf. The accused was immediately shifted to the far off Rangpur police station to save him from the wrath of the infuriated mob which had been blocking the Punjab-Sindh road near Alipur.

A case under section 295-C of the PPC was registered against the accused, and he was shifted to Muzaffargarh jail early on Tuesday on 14-day judicial remand. He was said to be kept in an isolated cell in the prison.

On the other hand, the traders of Jatoi and Alipur tehsils of Muzaffargarh observed a complete strike on Tuesday to protest against the incident, while hundreds of people turned out on streets and blocked the inter-provincial road causing long queues of vehicles. The protesters, however, dispersed peacefully after keeping the road blocked for several hours.

Muzaffargarh DPO has appointed DSP (investigations) Malik Muhammad Yaqoob to look into the matter.