HYDERABAD: Rights activists, lawyers, journalists and intellectuals at a meeting held here on Wednesday discussed extremist tendencies and threat to a Sindh University professor from workers and supporters of a religio-political party accusing her of having committed blasphemy.

The meeting was chaired by Prof Mushtaq Mirani and attended, among others, by Dr Imdad Chandio, Abdul Majeed Chandio, Taj Joyo, Haseen Musarrat, Mahesh Kumar, Zafar Junejo, Jami Chandio, Amar Sindhu and Advocate Moomal Chandio.

The participants were of the view that propaganda against Prof Arfana Mallah and the extremist tendencies must come to an end as she had already clarified her statement that was regarded by these extremist elements as “blasphemous”.

The meeting urged the government to take action against all such elements, and observed that by targeting the professor, these elements wanted to create a law and order issue not only in Hyderabad but the entire province.

The meeting said freedom of expression was citizens’ fundamental right which must not be curbed.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2020