KARACHI: The Jamaat-i-Islami on Friday staged a protest demonstration after Friday prayers outside the Bait-ul-Mukarram mosque in Gulshan-i-Iqbal against the Bangladeshi government for awarding death sentence to Bangladesh JI chief Maulana Motiur Rahman and called upon the Pakistani government and the army to take immediate notice of this ‘unjustified act’ of the Bangladeshi government.

The participants in the rally were holding party flags besides placards and banners inscribed with anti-Bangladesh government slogans.

They were addressed by Karachi JI leaders, including Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, Osama Razi, Younus Barai, and Nazim of the Islami Jamiat Talba Hafiz Mohammed Bilal.

Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman in his speech said that the ‘mock court’ of Bangladesh had awarded the death penalty to Bangladesh JI leader Motiur Rahman in a fake case.

He said that the JI leaders and workers sacrificed their lives for the solidarity of the country.

He described the statement of the Pakistan Foreign Office on the judgement of the Bangladeshi court as ‘a shameful act’ and condemned the ‘silence’ of the Pakistani government over the incident and added that the government of Bangladesh had staged the mock trial at the behest of the Indian government.

“Why are the officers of the Pakistan army and the ISI silent over the issue?” he said.

JI leader Younus Barai said the Bangladeshi government in order to appease the Indian army kept hanging Islam-loving people.

Hafiz Bilal said that silence of the world human rights organisations over the death penalty to JI leader Motiur Rehman had raised many questions in the minds of the people.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2014