Statement on Threat to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Death Sentence against Sawan Masih

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PPP Human Rights Cell Central Coordinator Dr Nafisa Shah has strongly condemned threats by a banned outfit to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and demanded comprehensive action by Government of Punjab on its safe havens. The Cell has also condemned attack on commentator and TV anchor Raza Rumi.

It is clear that ceasefire is a red herring while terrorists are working on their agenda while government is either unwilling or unable to fight terrorism or address the fundamental problems of internal security, says Dr Nafisa Shah. The HR cell has further called the award of death sentence to Sawan Masih of Joseph colony an apparent miscarriage of justice which will further marginalize the minorities.

The Central Coordinator Dr Nafisa Shah said that “This seems to be a case of adding insult to injury, or might is right, as instead of punishing those behind the Joseph colony conflagration the courts have punished someone through a law that is usually misused against minorities.

”A hundred plus houses, besides schools, hospitals were torched and no one seems to have been punished for these cruel acts, “Says Dr Nafisa Shah. ‘This will only encourage mob extremism against the minorities as the recent example of Dharamshala in Larkana and Mandir in Hyderabad demonstrates, she added.

It is universally agreed that in most cases the present blasphemy law made during Gen Zia’s dictatorship has been misused against the Minorities. It is therefore no surprise that the State institutions including judiciary seem to be surrendering to the fanaticism and bigotry generally.

The HR cell has called upon all political parties to devise legislation to stop the misuse of the blasphemy laws and particularly called upon the legal community to ensure right to fair trial is ensured and that minorities are protected against discrimination in such cases.