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SIALKOT: Three armed burqa-clad sisters on Wednesday shot dead a man near Sialkot after accusing him of committing blasphemy 13 years ago.
Police managed to arrest the three suspects and identified them as Amna, Afshan and Razia.
The incident took place in Nangal Mirza village, Pasrur tehsil.
According to the police, the three women went to the house of Mazhar Hussain Syed, a faith healer, and asked him to pray for them. They also asked him if his son, Fazal Abbas, had returned from abroad. When told that he had returned from Belgium, they asked if they could see him. As soon as Abbas, 45, appeared before the women, they opened fire on him with the weapons they had brought with them secretly. Abbas died on the spot.
The women raised slogans in jubilation after his death, asserting that they had finally eliminated a blasphemer.
The women, in their statement to police, alleged that Abbas had committed blasphemy in 2004, but “we couldn’t kill him at the time because we were too young then”.
The police confirmed that they had registered a case against Abbas in 2004 under Section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Pasrur City station, but he fled abroad soon after.
The suspect had recently returned from abroad and promptly obtained pre-arrest bail from a local court.
The body was taken to the Pasrur Civil Hospital for autopsy.
Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2017
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Comments (103) Closed
Apr 20, 2017 08:03am
What a country! Intense radicalization has seeped in masses and we remain in denial mode.
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Apr 20, 2017 08:08am
This blasphemy issue is getting out of control. Government needs to deal with this with a comprehensive approach before it's too late..or is it too late already ??
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Apr 20, 2017 08:18am
Here goes another victim of vigilante justice. The women need to be given exemplary punishment.
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Apr 20, 2017 08:23am
Your Comment.this blasphemy issue is getting out of hand and is becoming a tool in a hand of would be murderer.
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Apr 20, 2017 08:24am
Where is humanity going?
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Apr 20, 2017 08:37am
Very strange story from all the angles. Need more investigation.
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Apr 20, 2017 09:02am
I don't believe this concocted story by these women. The dead man must have molested these women in their childhood. This is their revenge. Mashal's murder perhaps is a factor. But this must be investigated and true circumstances be brought out. Remember this is Punjab and anything is possible with this Police.
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Apr 20, 2017 09:23am
Badly motivated lot on religious extremism. Very bad for the society and people committing such heinous crime taking proud of it. Repeal the law and mass counselling is the solution.
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Apr 20, 2017 09:44am
What to comment and how to comment? Now Pakistan women who are considered as weak and timid have turned as murderer must be mind boggling to be honest. My question is that since a case was registered against him then why he was not arrested and sent to jail but ever since court granted him bail, women came up with an answer to kill him. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi.formerdiplomat@hotmail.com
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Apr 20, 2017 09:50am
When will this stop?
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Apr 20, 2017 09:58am
These 3 should be tried and sentenced quickly to send message to those who take killing into their hands. This blashphamy law should be removed . It is being misused and encouraging vigilantism.
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Apr 20, 2017 10:13am
Many things do not add up. Why would some one wait for thirteen years to seek vengeance? Who supplied weapons to these three females? How did they learn of the return of the victim from overseas so quickly?
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Apr 20, 2017 10:50am
Hard to digest this story
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Apr 20, 2017 11:06am
Severe punishments need to be put in place via new Laws for those falsely testifying & killing innocent people in the name of blasphemy....otherwise it will go on & ppl will keep dying....Mashal's case should be made exemplary for ppl to follow
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Apr 20, 2017 11:07am
@Zak it's not the law it's the people who needs to be educated about it. Very simple the misusers of the law should get same punishments as the blasphemer.
Btw these vigilantes need to.be.told.its a law meaning go to court. Let the judges decide you don't be the judge.
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Apr 20, 2017 11:18am
There will be many in our society who will come forward to justify this killing. look at the intolerance and where are we going.
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Apr 20, 2017 11:25am
An FIR was registered against him for blasphemy.
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Apr 20, 2017 11:37am
If violence is your default response to an honest question, you probably have a weak case.
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Apr 20, 2017 11:38am
Not only review of Law is required, the education to masses is also a sine qua non to get out this messy catch 22 situation.
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Apr 20, 2017 11:43am
very very shocking. We need find the root cause. Be it India or Pakistan or any other part, this attitude gradually move the society to stone age. Civilised people need to come forward. We want roti, kapda and Mkan. Time has come to push religion to a corner. Social religion is more important than personal religion.
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Apr 20, 2017 11:57am
@Zak , For Once, I agree with you.
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Apr 20, 2017 12:05pm
@Balakrishnan - Religion's original purpose is, in fact, mass counseling and therapy. But looks like it has gone in to wrong hands.
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Apr 20, 2017 12:06pm
Those three girls must be charged for cold blooded murder. Were the three girls working as judge, jury and executioners too. What happened to having a fair trial before a learned judge?
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Apr 20, 2017 12:30pm
when case was got registered against accused then it would have been in the domain of court for decision.
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Apr 20, 2017 12:35pm
@Zak For once, I do agree with you.
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Apr 20, 2017 12:48pm
Abbas must be arrested before this incident happen. Why do these people insult our beloved Holy Prophet SAW at first and liberals are getting out of control and not ready to correct themselves.
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Apr 20, 2017 01:06pm
Where are we headed? Is there any chance of Reformation of Criminal Justice System to stop people from taking law in their own hands ?
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Apr 20, 2017 01:07pm
Give them severe punishment
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Apr 20, 2017 01:13pm
@KAJ Why?
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Apr 20, 2017 01:41pm
The law protected the accused, granted bail, allowed him to flee abroad and blocked the rightful punishment.
The law was not implemented and people dispensed justice on their own. If the courts and authorities had done their job, this wouldn't have happened.
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Apr 20, 2017 01:46pm
Now they can spend the rest of their lives in jail reflecting on what they have done.
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Apr 20, 2017 01:49pm
Let the severe punishment fit the heinous crime.
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Apr 20, 2017 01:58pm
@ANWAR !deciesed was maybe blasphemour or not if court decided without giving him bail then the situation may be different.
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Apr 20, 2017 01:58pm
Sickening, I am tired of reading blasphemy merciless killings in Pakistan - Land of the Pure. I am lost for words. Someone commented here, "where is humanty going". Wrong, the real question is where is Pakistan going. Please someone guide me with some comforting words, I am going insane. Thank you someone.
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Apr 20, 2017 02:04pm
People with such mentality and fanaticism is dangerous. It seems to be spreading unhindered without any fear. Looks as if the system supports it.
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Apr 20, 2017 02:33pm
@Zak Totally endorse you
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Apr 20, 2017 03:06pm
"The suspect had recently returned from abroad and promptly obtained pre-arrest bail from a local court."
How can you say he was a suspect?
Women have been brainwashed to this limits.Just imagine if they become mothers ,what kind do of brainwashing they would be able to do to their children.
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Apr 20, 2017 03:08pm
The suspect had recently returned from abroad and promptly obtained pre-arrest bail from a local court.
This shouldn't happen. They should not have killed the man neither court should grant bail, court duty is to provide justice not bails.
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Apr 20, 2017 03:08pm
crazy , atleast these womens should be punished .
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Apr 20, 2017 03:13pm
God knows the best!
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Apr 20, 2017 03:15pm
@JKhan If there is some other motive behind the murder, then all the more reason for revisiting the blasphemy law!
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Apr 20, 2017 03:22pm
No groups or individuals has liberty to take laws in their hands.Only State have power to enforce rules and award punishments through proper procedure as established by law.Rationality of any law as well as punishments for a particular crime as established by laws can be debatable or can be amended or scrapped.But it is only State which can enforce amend or remove any law with due process.The State of Pakistan should strongly deal with these gangs who has became rouge.
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Apr 20, 2017 03:23pm
Our citizens are killing each other and justifying this under blasphemy. Radicalizing is complete and inhuman.
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Apr 20, 2017 03:32pm
Very Strange and fishy. Cover up for murder in the name of blasphemy ? Hard to believe that these girls kill him for a thing which he has done 13 years before !
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Apr 20, 2017 03:40pm
An other case of taking the law into individual's hands and killing a person for blasphemy allegations. It is a pity that the case was registered with the police, but, no judgement given in the last 13 years in Punjab province. Where the nation going to ?
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Apr 20, 2017 03:50pm
@JKhan : So you have arrived on your own at such an absurd conclusion as to what happened to these women in the childhood.
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Apr 20, 2017 03:51pm
@Ashish : From where does India come in this?
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Apr 20, 2017 03:58pm
this is plain murder, a pre-planned event to kill someone. They should all punished.
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Apr 20, 2017 04:03pm
@ANWAR he was granted bail may be because charges were not proved. Why interefer the legal proceedings?
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Apr 20, 2017 04:06pm
@SohaiL why will law punish if charges are not proven. Law checks evidence not allegations.
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Apr 20, 2017 04:06pm
Draconion law and all blinded people --who think they can act like GOD. fools of highest order.
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Apr 20, 2017 04:08pm
This is the very reason the law should be abrogated and those who take the law in their hand must be punished severely.
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Apr 20, 2017 04:14pm
People taking out personal rivalries in the guise of Blasphemy...
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Apr 20, 2017 04:21pm
Shame. Once again mullah-oriented persons (women in thus case) have taken law into their own hands making a mockery of the entire state apparatus. Enough us enough. It us high time all these so called religious parties and supporters were banned and strictly punished.
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Apr 20, 2017 04:38pm
What a great tragedy?
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Apr 20, 2017 05:30pm
Congratulations to Jamat Islami & JUI-F who are against any changes in the BLASPHEMY LAW. Keep receding into the deep, dark cave of ignorance, brutality and vengeance away from the modern, civilized world that one day will run out of their enduring patience and deliver us to hell . But unfortunately those who are responsible for all corruption, chaos, oppression, injustice and systemic failure will escape unscathed.
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Apr 20, 2017 06:09pm
@Muhammad Expect nothing from the government. Their only concern is staying in power, by hook or crook.
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Apr 20, 2017 06:31pm
I am sometimes surprised by shock expressed by readers at such incidents. After all is it not recommended in sharia that apostates should be killed. I mean being an Islamic nation, sharia is the guiding principle for Pakistan & if someone acts according to Sharia, why there should be hue & cry ?
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Apr 20, 2017 06:53pm
Our women don't want to be left out of the limelight. Hey !!! they want to be recognized too.
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Apr 20, 2017 06:55pm
@Muhammad its already too late
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Apr 20, 2017 07:01pm
Whatever happened 13 years ago, this is a murder.
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Apr 20, 2017 07:07pm
@JKhan : "Could have" --"might have" but not "must have"--the last is too much of a leap.
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Apr 20, 2017 07:21pm
This is really getting out of control.
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Apr 20, 2017 07:27pm
@SYED HASSAN HASEEB : Most likely, these three young women will find "Upright"husbands in prison and become more religious and may be free to go home with jail-guard men of Faith--who will vouch for their good conduct.
And Abbas's father will probably forgive and bless them for eradicating a blasphemer from among them!
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Apr 20, 2017 07:37pm
@Nasir London: Keep faith in evolution--cultural and social-economic evolution.
There is hope in that.
In spite of horrors, we are shedding old shibboleths and moving forward.
Humans have achieved great things in spite of set backs like this.
Our collective survival instinct is forever hopeful.
We can't move forward looking in the rear view mirror.
Best Wishes!
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Apr 20, 2017 08:47pm
When these women will be investigated thoroughly another story would pop up.
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Apr 20, 2017 09:10pm
it is time to must review the act. that is true in its basis but as a procedure it has some faults and need to correct it.
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Apr 20, 2017 09:16pm
@JKhan : whatever the reason.. they are no one to take anohter person life.... Judicial system needs to be revamped.....
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Apr 20, 2017 09:58pm
Males should be cautious and careful in their words and behavior with their spouse and children, such allegations can be leveled against at any time.
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Apr 20, 2017 10:03pm
There is something fishy here. Hardly any sane one can digest this theory except he / she is completely radicalize.
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Apr 20, 2017 10:22pm
@Moksha why bring humanity into the picture. Ask where pakistan is going.
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Apr 20, 2017 10:32pm
Ah, the real life burka avengers of Pakistan.
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Apr 20, 2017 10:35pm
muslims killing someone......how strange......
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Apr 20, 2017 10:55pm
@rashid The man was living abroad and the women were very young when the deceased person supposed to have committed blasphemy. Hence the delay in punishing him as per women. You want to create controversy out of nowhere when facts are so clear. Are you somehow trying to not see the murder and its cause as confessed by those murderers???
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Apr 20, 2017 11:29pm
@Irfan_M - "An FIR was registered against him for blasphemy." - so? do you mean that FIR is a justification for the murder?
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Apr 20, 2017 11:31pm
@Zealot "Why?" - and why not?
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Apr 21, 2017 12:42am
@ANWAR well Said.
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Apr 21, 2017 01:50am
@Zak ... After reading hundreds of your messages over many years here in DAWN, now for the first time I agree with you. The blasphemy law encourages action by semi-literate people for whom its only interpretation is their own narrow view.
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Apr 21, 2017 01:52am
My god, how viscious and misguided. Totally lacking not only common sense but also perspective.
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Apr 21, 2017 01:53am
i think these girls took that cartoon burqa warrior too seriously....
the 3 ninjas of pakistan....lol
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Apr 21, 2017 02:16am
At this rate, everybody will be accusing each other of blasphemy and killing each other, and in the end there will be nobody left. Regardless of whether an accusation is justified or not, nobody should take the law into their own hands. We have a legal system, and it should be only the recognized legal system that should judge and provide appropriate punishments. Otherwise, society will just break down.
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Apr 21, 2017 03:30am
If the women were burqa clad, no one can prove anyone guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Unless they voluntarily plead guilty, arrested women can go free, because police may have arrested wrong people.
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Apr 21, 2017 10:04am
@Rehman Much more effective to reform the system and divorce Religion from governance.
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Apr 21, 2017 11:47am
@Angry Man you can't be a man or a woman. Anything in between is a possibility.
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Apr 21, 2017 01:20pm
Such unprovoked and premeditated murder should attract a life sentence with no parole. The perpetrators do not deserve to live freely among humans.
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Apr 21, 2017 01:25pm
@ANWAR your beloved may not be someone else's beloved. You do not kill people for contrary point of view, you just choose to boycott those people. It is horrible that murder has become such an easy option for people and even worse is that there are people who justify murder.
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Apr 21, 2017 09:14pm
We are dealing with a Gen. Zia -Generation. What a waste of life and resources. In my opinion , it will take another 25 years for Pakistan to flush out these Zombies from our society. I hope, we dont see another military intervention in future.
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Apr 22, 2017 07:39am
Blasphemy is a serious, unpardonable offence against Muslims. Instant justice is a must against anybody who utters anything against Faith, Holy book and the Prophet (PBUH).
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Apr 22, 2017 07:41am
@Ahmad , This is not radicalisation but defending our faith.
It is normal to get upset and the ones who do not get upset on blasphemy are not true Muslims.
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Apr 22, 2017 10:46am
This incident has nothing to do with existence of blasphemous laws. People will continue to kill even if this is withdrawn. Don't commit it.
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Apr 22, 2017 12:06pm
@Zakir Akbar Very true.
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Apr 22, 2017 02:28pm
@Angry Man what about Gau rakshaks? I am an Indian but I believe there is a learning opportunity for us too. Such laws always lead to lawlessness
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Apr 22, 2017 02:32pm
Why we are killing them instead of not handover him/her to the police for further investigations, why we are providing justice on over own, why we are so disinclined to the justice? May be their should be personal causes to blame someone on behalf of blasphemy or may be if he did then we have no rights to hang him/her up!
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Apr 22, 2017 05:39pm
@Insane then don't get upset when other people come after you because they got offended because of something you said. If you want to go down this road, remember neither other people's feelings are in your control not what they choose to defend against you.
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Apr 22, 2017 05:55pm
@Angry Man Its not so absurd as believing this story outright like you and others have unwittingly or to suit your own bigotry done. A good detective should be able to establish the real reason.
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Apr 22, 2017 05:59pm
What is going on? We are becoming a wholly murderous nation.
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Apr 22, 2017 06:28pm
Shocked. I felt only males are extremists. first time seeing female extremists and that too killing for blasphemy. Oh God. Your young minds are getting corrupted. They are like robots. Say some thing and they act like robots with out logical thinking. One day Pakistan has to pay for this culture. Think of after 30 years all the old moderate generations will perish and these young minds will rule the country. Wake up youth of Pakistan.
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Apr 22, 2017 08:25pm
Whats going on in this country? Everyone second day someone is getting attacked or murdered for Blasphemy charge.
It's all the fault of rulers. They are not taking a firm stance and the public is going berserk.
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Apr 22, 2017 08:43pm
It turns a vicious cycle of vigilante justice, in the country where there is a precedent set, to eliminate an enemy, all is fair and law enforcers appear to act in connivance of killers.
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Apr 22, 2017 09:22pm
Zia's vision of Pakistan.
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Apr 23, 2017 02:18am
Another victim of a personal vandetta in the name of religion by the blaspheme brigade like the saying goes a women scorned.....
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Apr 23, 2017 09:56am
In fact the sisters not complained for 13 years hiding wrong doing of other is not correct. Isn't it a sin.
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Apr 23, 2017 10:20am
Seems to be fabricated story. It needs to be investigated.
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