AT last justice was served after five years though from Pakistan’ perspective it’s not a long period. Heated debate continued all these five years polarising society as Mumtaz Qadri (MQ) supporters kept justifying his heinous crime. At last the Supreme Court came to the rescue of the country by calling a spade a spade.

MQ might have gone, but all those who supported his cause are very much around us.

Who will charge the so-called religious leaders involved in brain-washing MQ, what about those prominent columnists and opinion-makers who openly justified Salmaan Taseer’s murder, all those who took out huge rallies in his support, what about those lawyers who garlanded MQ and attacked the ATC judge, those criminals who threatened the ATC judge forcing him to flee the country?

What MQ did was an issue of the mindset. Unless we address the root cause, another MQ would be in the making. It’s this same mindset which converts a young boy into a walking-bomb. The government needs to ensure MQ’s grave shall not become a rallying point for extremists.

One looks forward for a peaceful Pakistan that lets everyone live in peace.

Masood Khan

Jubail

(2)

THE funeral of Mumtaz Qadri drew a huge crowd. Many Ulema and lawyers condemned the execution. They must have some logic to do so but the common man is rather confused on this issue. So, I appeal to them to clarify three simple questions whose clarification a less informed person may seek.

One, should the right to kill be the discretion of an individual? Two, should a Muslim accept the duty to protect someone and then kill him instead of protecting him? Three, what should have been proper for the administration and courts to do other than awarding him the death penalty after Mumtaz Qadri accepted the responsibility?

M. Akram Niazi

Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2016