Thursday, February 3, 2011

Pakistan politician accuses prime minister of sabotaging blasphemy law reform

Sherry Rehman, who has cut back her public appearances since the assassination of another reformer, told The Daily Telegraph she would continue her campaign despite continuing threats to her life.
"Appeasement of extremism is a policy that will have its blowback," said the Member of the National Assembly for the governing Pakistan People's Party.
The issue has cast a dark shadow over Pakistan since The Daily Telegraph revealed that a Christian mother-of-five had been sentenced to death for blasphemy.
Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab, was shot dead last month after taking up her case. His killer has received widespread support in a country where few people are prepared to risk the wrath of hardline clerics.
The government has refused to consider any amendments and critics accused ministers of isolating Rehman and Taseer days before his death.Ms Rehman drafted a bill designed to make the laws – toughened up during the military reign of General Zia ul-Haq – more difficult to use in the persecution of religious minorities.
On Wednesday, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, again insisted the government had no plans to reform the law.
He said he had told Ms Rehman that the reforms should have been discussed within the party before moving ahead and that "she agreed with me".
However, a furious Ms Rehman said she had disagreed but that bill had been killed off because the prime minister had ruled out any discussion.
"It was a question of protecting our citizens from injustice done in the name of a religion that values peace and tolerance more than anything else," she said.
The law attracted a fresh wave of condemnation this week when it emerged that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested for allegedly writing a blasphemous comment on an exam paper.

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