TIMERGARA: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said here on Monday that publication of sacrilegious caricatures by a French magazine was a bid to ignite third world war.

Addressing a news conference, he said that western countries always provided shelter and security to blasphemers to encourage others. He said that marches of his party in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on Jan 23 would be attended by millions of lovers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

JI district chief Izazul Mulk Afkari, information secretary Malik Sher Bahadar, MNA Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, chairman district development advisory committee Saeed Gul and other local leaders were present on the occasion.

The JI chief said that printing of sacrilegious caricatures by a French magazine was a bid to pave the way for World War III which would endanger billions of people.

Siraj says they will organise million march on Jan 23

He demanded of the United Nations to implement its charter on human rights and include some clauses in international law to discourage blasphemy so that no one could dare to defame religious personalities in future.

The JI chief said that Muslim rulers were not representing Muslims as they kept criminal silence over blasphemy. He said that JI had planned to hold peaceful million marches in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on Jan 23 for which all political leadership, traders, lawyers and people from all walks of life had been invited.

“The act of the French magazine is extremism, terrorism and against the UN charter of human rights,” Mr Siraj said, adding that Muslims had the right to protest it. He also urged the ministers to attend the JI million marches on Jan 23.

About the passage of 21th Amendment, the JI chief said that under it religion was blamed for terrorism. The government, he said, itself made the bill controversial and discriminatory.

He asked the federal government to table 22th amendment after due consultation with religious parties so that their reservations could be addressed. He said that they wanted rule of law in the country and were against the use of force for solution of problems.

The JI chief said that all provincial chapters of the party were tasked to make political alliances for the local government polls. He said that he was not personally in favour of taking arms to schools by teachers. About the gas supply project in Dir, he said that it should not be politicised.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2015

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