Arrested cleric to get ‘lenient treatment’

The Newspaper's Correspondent Published January 4, 2017

OKARA: The district intelligence committee has assured the notables of the city to take a lenient view of the case of a seminary leader, who was arrested late on Friday in his seminary under terror laws for spreading hate material on a social media site.

The City B-Division police had arrested Sahibzada Fazlur Rehman in Jamia Asharful Madaris in a case under sections 9 and 11/w of the Anti-Terror Act for posting a hate message on Facebook.

His arrest triggered resentment among political and religious circles.

MNA Riazul Haq Juj and former MNA Chaudhry Arif along with traders and clerics approached Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sucrat Amman Rana and District Police Officer Faisal Rana and demanded the cleric’s release.

They assured the administration that the Sahibzada had not posted any hate message, instead he had shared the post, which was all due to misunderstanding.

The DC said the matter was discussed in the district intelligence committee and agreed to resolve the matter.

Sahibzada was presented in the divisional court of anti-terrorism judge Shabbir Ahmad Awan in Sahiwal on Tuesday. The court sent him on a 14-day judicial remand to the Okara district jail.

JAILED: Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Ramzan handed down on Tuesday four-year rigorous imprisonment with a Rs20,000 fine to Shehroz Masih in a narcotics case.

Published in Dawn January 4th, 2017

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True Pakistani

Jan 04, 2017 01:16pm

Can we expect fair tial from courts and equal treatment from police under such influance? Lets us take is as a test case.

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asif khan

Jan 04, 2017 01:32pm

double standard!. a crime is crime .

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FAREED HUSSAIN

Jan 04, 2017 02:49pm

WHY he should get lenient treatment while he whatever posted or shared for that matter proves he condone that message. It is not incitement it is the belief, meaning if they are free to spread such messages, not only they will spread the hatred they will incitement and condone murders. Dont forget Salman Taseer's case, almost all clerics believe Mumtaz Qadri was right in his action

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Parvez

Jan 04, 2017 03:02pm

Political patronage of the religious right is one of the major issues along with corruption that is destroying this country.

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Alba

Jan 04, 2017 03:16pm

Clerics filled with hatred and frustration are little men.

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Awan

Jan 04, 2017 03:20pm

Very good..keep eye on these disguised extremist

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Aadmi

Jan 04, 2017 03:26pm

And then we wonder why we are in the mess we are. There is no realization that the so-called"religious leaders" have NO understanding of what the true teachings of Islam are and keep on spewing hate that has gotten the whole country moving in the wrong direction. The various governments/ administrations over the years have been using the clerics to divert the attention of the public to trivial things and non-issues while they take turns in siphoning the country's resources.

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kumail

Jan 04, 2017 03:28pm

Khuda Hafiz Pakistan if he is the head of the madressah. You can imagine how many students with suicide belt will be trained. Why not bring them to TV and expose them, killing ideological is more beneficent.

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Ijaz

Jan 04, 2017 03:42pm

Then we wonder why we have extremist inspired terrorism.

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chameleon

Jan 04, 2017 03:41pm

Thats exactly why politicians dont want DC to havemagistracy powers..They are afraid that they wont be able to assert themselves over neutral bureaucracy.

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Usman

Jan 04, 2017 04:36pm

Our LEAs should take a clear and bold stand against all criminal acts... We have lost lot of things from last few years because of not being fare. We should stand together and safe our country before it gets shattered because of all this corruption.

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M. Siddique

Jan 04, 2017 05:26pm

Unless these seminary leaders given severe punishment, the country can NEVER get rid of terrorists. Seminary under such clerics are root cause of lawlessness. When will Pakistanis understand that they are being brain washed.

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Taimur

Jan 04, 2017 05:30pm

Case should also be registered against those who demanded his release. And the statement from DC "agreed to resolve the matter", how can you let people go who violate the law of land?

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Shahzad

Jan 04, 2017 05:32pm

This is a hilarious piece of information. It only got published now.

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Ahsan Gul

Jan 04, 2017 06:18pm

Justice must realize that granting leniency to one criminal opens doors for others. Just must be served regardless of a person's economic or religious status. This preferential treatment in Pakistan must stop for country move forward.

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khanm

Jan 04, 2017 06:34pm

@asif khan ....The larger crimes are apt to be the simpler, for the bigger the crime, the more obvious, as a rule, is the motive

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khanm

Jan 04, 2017 06:38pm

@kumail ..wonder where were we when we promoted those left and right in 90's... we created them for a reason... for a specific goal. unless we put the leaders with vision and sagacity nothing will change.

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Fazal Karim

Jan 04, 2017 06:46pm

Governments are helpless in front of religious zealots. They have a strong lobby to unite and attack on any matter that seems to go against their ideology.

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Tariq, Lahore

Jan 04, 2017 06:52pm

When the law is not applied 'firmly' then expect the subjects' flout it, as they think they can get away with murder!

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Agha Ata

Jan 04, 2017 08:08pm

I hope this will teach him something.

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Sailani

Jan 05, 2017 06:16am

People who support or share hate messages they should not be treated differently. The law should be upheld.