ISLAMABAD: Expressing concern over growing misuse of blasphemy law in the country, former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari has called for revisiting the Zia-era legislation.

In a message released by the PPP’s media centre on the eve of Easter on Saturday, Mr Zardari called upon scholars to deliberate on how to check the abuse and misuse of the law against minorities and the dispossessed people.

“It is deeply worrying that the right to adequate defence is steadily eroding for those charged with religion-related offences,” he said and urged civil society, political parties and ulema to give a serious thought to the issue.

“The PPP will continue to fight the ideology of religion-inspired violence that lay at the heart of terrorism,” he declared.

The party, he said, was committed to pursuing the goal of equality, freedom and security for all minorities, including Christians, as guaranteed in the Constitution and promised by the Quaid-i-Azam and Z.A. Bhutto with vigour and determination.