KARACHI, May 16: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal staged a protest demonstration at Empress Market here on Tuesday against the government’s silence over the death of a Pakistani student, Amir Cheema, in German jail. A large number of MMA and JI supporters holding flags, banners and placards in their hands participated in the demonstration and raised slogans against the German and Pakistani governments.

They paid glowing tribute to Amir Cheema for his courage to give a message Europeans that Muslims could not tolerate blasphemy.

MMA leaders, addressing the protesters, announced that tumultuous welcome would be accorded to Prof Nazir Cheema, father of the victim, on his visit to Karachi.

Condemning the incident and the government’s “criminal silence over this sensitive issue” MMA leader Prof Ghafoor said this proved that there was a US-Europe puppet government in Islamabad.

“Cheema’s death in custody of German police is a clear case of extrajudicial killing, but our government, instead of lodging even a formal protest with the German government, has reaffirmed its intention to maintain normal relations with that country. This is condemnable.”

He also criticised the government for not allowing burial of Amir Cheema in Rawalpindi, and claimed that the government was aware of the sensitivity of the issue and did not want to send to its masters the message that it had any objection to the extrajudicial killing.

He appealed to German people to exert pressure on their government for initiating an independent probe into Cheema’s death.

Allama Hasan Turabi, paying glowing tribute to Amir Cheema, pointed out that Muslims from around the world were present in Germany, but it was only a Pakistani who demonstrated the courage to punish a blasphemer.

MNA Mohammad Hussain Mehanti described Cheema as “a symbol of Pakistanis’ love and affection with the holy prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).”

Shabir Abu Talib, Maulana Abdul Karim Abid, Nasrullah Shaji and other MMA leaders also spoke.—PPI