Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Sajid Soomro: Another Pakistani academic falls victims to blasphemy law
A Sindhi literature professor has been detained under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws. Activists say his arrest is yet another example of growing religious intolerance in the Muslim-majority country.
Sajid Soomro, a Pakistani professor of Sindhi literature at Khairpur's Shah Abdul Latif University in Sindh province, was arrested on June 10. Police filed a blasphemy case against Soomro under the Pakistan Penal Code. He has since been detained and is awaiting trial.
The professor is known to Pakistani authorities for his dissenting views and criticisms of the country's most powerful clerics.
"Sajid has written things critical of seminaries, religious beliefs, the concept of heaven and polygamy. He has also criticized Pakistan. Therefore, he has been registered under the relevant sections of the law," Hakim Ali Kalhoro, a local Sindh police officer, told DW.
However, a number of human rights activists, civil society organisations and politicians have expressed grave concern over the blasphemy registration against Soomro under Pakistan's broad and controversial blasphemy laws. Soomro's lawyer Fayaz Khamisani told DW that the case against his client did not comply with the necessary legal formalities.
Pakistan's crackdown on 'dissidents'
Asad Butt of Pakistan's Human Rights Commission believes that the outspoken literature professor is being punished for expressing views that did not correspond to those of the Islamabad government.
"He attended the funeral of a Sindhi nationalist which did not go down well in some powerful circles who might want to teach him a lesson. We believe that if somebody has different political views then he or she should be engaged in dialogue, but using blasphemy as a tool to silence voices could become very catastrophic," Butt said.
Member of senate and former president of the centre-left National Party Mir Hasil Bizenjo said, "It is disheartening to see the registration of blasphemy cases against intellectuals and authors. We should have enough patience to tolerate opposing points of views. Such cases trigger fear among academics, stifling healthy debates."
Arfana Mallah, a professor at University of Sindh, appealed to people across the country to protest Soomro's arrest. She told DW that she received threats to her own life after publicly showing her support for Soomro. Mallah did not elaborate further on the nature of the threat.
All @Arfanamallah66 has done is exercise her fundamental right to express dismay over the registration of an FIR against fellow academic Prof Sajid Soomro at Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur. 2/3
In all cases, including these two, the state must ensure the safety of its citizens and prohibit the misuse of the #blasphemy and #sedition laws to silence independent voices or settle personal scores. 3/3
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Surge in separatism and sectarian violence
Sindh, one of Pakistan's four provinces and home to the country's largest city, Karachi, is known for its distinct culture which is strongly influenced by Sufism, a mystical form of Islam that emphasizes the inward search for God. Sindh province is home to Pakistan's largest Hindu population and also hosts a significant number of Shiite Muslims.
Over the last 15 years, the growing number of insurgents and extremist seminaries are said to be garnering force and undermining Sindh's sectarian harmony. Soomro had spoken out about such developments in Pakistan, blaming Islamabad for the rise of violent extremism on Pakistani soil.
In February 2017, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS) claimed a suicide attack on a Sufi shrine in the town of Sehwan in Sindh. The attack, which led to the deaths of at least 72 people, was the deadliest in a string of bombings claimed by IS, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants.
Reports also emerged concerning forced conversion of Hindu girls in Sindh, compelling some Hindu families to migrate to India. In response, the World Sindhi Congress (WSC), a human rights education and advocacy organization for Sindh and Sindhis, submitted a report to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, urging for an intervention in the forced conversion of minority girls and women in Pakistan.
A number of Sindhi nationalists have also called for the separation and independence of their province from the rest of Pakistan, but they are devoid of mass support. Some Pakistanis considered Soomro to be a Sindhi nationalist.
Pakistan's broad blasphemy law
Blasphemy is a sensitive topic in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where around 97% of its 180 million inhabitants are Muslim. Hundreds of victims of blasphemy charges have been languishing in Pakistani jails for years. People have been lynched by angry mobs, or assassinated, on allegations of insulting Islam or its Prophet Muhammad.
In 1927, Pakistan inherited the blasphemy laws from its British colonial rulers who had made it a criminal offence to commit "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religious belief."
The Islamic military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq then introduced extensions of the laws between 1977 and 1988, including life imprisonment for those defiling or desecrating the Holy Quran. Later, the death penalty was declared mandatory for anyone blaspheming against Prophet Mohammad.
In December last year, 33-year-old university lecturer Junaid Hafeez was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges. The Bahauddin Zakariya University lecturer was accused by hardline student groups of insulting the Prophet Muhammad on social media and of making derogatory remarks in March 2013.
Hafeez was sentenced behind bars without trial for six years, with much of that time spent in solitary confinement. His lawyer, Rashid Rehman, was shot dead in his office in the city of Multan in May 2014.
'Personal or political vendettas'
Pakistan has yet to execute anyone for blasphemy. Most of those slammed with the death penalty have had their sentences overturned or reversed on appeal.
Rights advocates, who have long been demanding a reform of the controversial laws, said the laws have little to do with blasphemy and are often used to settle petty disputes and personal vendettas.
A 2015 study conducted by the Hague-based International Court of Justice on Pakistan's implementation of blasphemy laws said that more than 80% of the trial court convictions are overturned on appeal, largely due to the uncovering of evidence or fabricated complaints based on "personal or political vendettas."
Furthermore, Pakistan has registered at least 702 blasphemy cases against minorities, making up 52% of all cases. A few months ago, a Hindu teacher was registered in a blasphemy case and is being kept in a high security cell in Sindh.
The case of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani-Christian who was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010, remains one of Pakistan's most high-profile blasphemy cases. After having spent over eight years in jail, Bibi was acquitted by the Islamic country's top court in October 2019. She then moved to Canada to start a new life. But her ordeal may not yet be over. Hard-liners have pledged to continue pursuing her until her death.
وفاق کے غلط فیصلوں سے ملک میں کورونا پھیلا، بلاول بھٹو زرداری
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ وفاقی حکومت کے غلط فیصلوں کی وجہ سے پاکستان میں کوروناوائرس پھیلا ہے، پاکستان تحریک انصاف (پی ٹی آئی) نے ہر اس فیصلے کی مخالفت کی جو وائرس کے پھیلاؤ کو روک سکتا تھا۔
قومی اسمبلی کے اجلاس میں اظہارِ خیال کرتے ہوئے بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا تھا کہ ہم اس وقت تاریخی چیلنجز کے سامنے کھڑے ہیں، یہ وہ مسائل ہیں جو کئی برسوں بعد آتے ہیں۔
انہوں نے اپنے خطاب میں زیادہ تر گفتگو کورونا وائرس کی وجہ سے ملکی صورتحال اور ٹڈی دل حملوں اور حالیہ بجٹ پر کی۔
چیئرمین پی پی پی نے کہا کہ پاکستان میں اس وقت کورونا سے 15 منٹ بعد ایک شخص جان کی بازی ہار رہا ہے، ہمارا 2020 کا جو بجٹ ہے، وہ ہمارا بجٹ نہیں ہو سکتا ہے اس میں کورونا وائرس سے متعلق کوئی منصوبہ بندی ہی نہیں کی گئی۔
ان کا کہنا تھا کہ تحریک انصاف نے ہر اس فیصلے کی مخالفت کی جو وائرس کے پھیلاؤ کو روک سکتا تھا، وفاقی حکومت کے فیصلوں کی وجہ سے کورونا وائرس ملک میں پھیلا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ آپ کی ہمت کیسے ہوئی اپنی غفلت اور نااہلی کا ذمہ دار عوام کو ٹھہرائیں؟
انہوں نے سوال اٹھایا کہ کیا وفاقی حکومت نے بجٹ میں کورونا وباء سے نمٹنے کے لیے پیسا رکھا ہے؟ کیا ڈاکٹرز، نرسز اور طبی عملے کو رسک الاؤنس دیا؟
بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا تھا کہ پیپلز پارٹی نے ہمیشہ ملک اور عوام کو درپیش خطرات پر خبردار کیا، اور اب بھی جب ہم نے وفاقی حکومت کو خطرات سے خبردار کیا تو کوئی ماننے کو تیار نہ تھا۔
چیئرمین پی پی پی کا کہنا تھا کہ اسی ایوان میں گزشتہ سال پارٹی کے سابق صدر پاکستان آصف علی زرداری اور بلوچستان عوامی پارٹی (بی این پی) کے سربراہ سردار اختر مینگل نے ٹڈی دل کا مسئلہ اٹھایا تھا۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا تھا کہ کورونا کے بعد ٹڈی دل سب سے بڑا مسئلہ اور زراعت کے لیے خطرہ ہے، ہم ہر پریس کانفرنس میں چیخ چیخ کر کہہ رہے تھے ٹڈی دل کا خطرہ ہے کسان خطرے میں ہے۔
چیئرمین پی پی پی کا کہنا تھا کہ آپ کی سلیکشن کی قیمت انسانی جانوں، معیشت اور فیڈریشن کو نقصان کا ذمہ دار کس کو ٹھہرائیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ ڈاکٹرز نرسز ہمیں بچانے کے لیے خود کو خطرے میں ڈال رہے ہیں، ہمیں نظام صحت کی استعداد کو بڑھانے کے لیے کام کرنا تھا۔
ان کا کہنا تھا کہ لاک ڈاؤن کو ختم کرنا تھا تو بتدریج اور صحت کا سسٹم دیکھ کر ہٹانا تھا، ہمیں طبی ماہرین کی بات کو سننا چاہیے تھا۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ لاک ڈاؤن کو عید کے ختم ہونے تک جاری رکھ سکتے تھے، عید کے ختم ہونے تک لاک ڈاؤن کرتے تو وائرس شہروں سے دیہات نہ جاتا۔
چیئرمین پی پی پی نے کہا کہ اٹلی کے لوگ چیخ چیخ کر کہہ رہے تھے کہ جو غلطیاں ہم نے کیں آپ نہ کریں، نیوزی لینڈ کی مثال سامنے ہے جس نے بھرپور اقدامات کیے آج وہاں کوئی لوکل ٹرانسمیٹڈ کیس نہیں۔
انہوں نے یہ بھی کہا کہ ویتنام میں جلدی ایکشن لیا گیا، وہاں کورونا وبا سے کوئی جاں بحق نہیں ہوا، ویتنام میں لاک ڈاؤن کیا گیا، ہر کیس کو ٹریس اور آئسولیٹ کیا گیا۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کسی کا نام لیے بغیر تنقید کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ کورونا کا وزیر کورونا کا ویسے ہی مقابلہ کررہا ہے جیسے اس نے معیشت کو سنبھالا تھا۔
انہوں نے تجویز دی کہ اب بھی ورلڈ ہیلتھ آرگنائزیشن کی طرف سے تجاویز کو اپنائیں تو نقصان کم کیا جاسکتا ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ آپ نے غریب کے نام کو استعمال کیا اور امیر کو ریلیف پہنچایا، نہ ہی آپ نے غریب کو کوئی خاص ریلیف پہنچایا اور نہ ہی اس بجٹ میں ریلیف دیا۔
انہوں نے یہ بھی کہا کہ یہ بجٹ نہ کورونا کے لیے کافی ہے نہ ٹڈی دل کے لیے کافی ہے۔
ان کا یہ بھی کہنا تھا کہ بے نظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام کے سوا کونسا ریلیف دیا گیا؟ بے نظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام تو کورونا سے پہلے کا تھا۔
اجلاس کے دوران چیئرمین پی پی پی نے اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی اسد قیصر کو مخاطب کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ جناب اسپیکر آپ کو ہاؤس میں صحت یاب دیکھ کر خوشی ہوئی ہے۔
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari calls the budget anti-poor, labour, farmer and people
He said that we have not allotted enough money for our provincial governments to battle the Covid-19. We did not increase the salaries of our health workers, the risk allowance. PPP always warned you of these challenges, about terrorism as well. The past year, President Zardari and Akhtar Mengal had highlighted the locust issue in the Parliament. Until children were not martyred in the APS incident, no one believed that there is a threat of terrorism. Our people are threatened by the locust attack, but the government has done nothing to tackle the issue. This issue is the most dangerous after Covid-19. Till today, an airplane is parked in Sukkur without a pilot. When will we take action? We have been trying to make them understand since February, you are yourself putting food security in danger. Who is responsible for the loss that our federation is suffering? The federal government of course.
Chairman PPP said that we asked them to adopt the WHO guidelines, had requested a lockdown. We could have prepared by imposing a lockdown, we had to improve our healthcare capacity, we were listening to the voices of our doctors and nurses, and we were listening to our experts and scientists. The Prime Minister was listening to the businessmen and the ATMs. The time during Ramadan and Eid was very dangerous. Had we imposed a lockdown until after Eid, we could have stopped the spread of the virus and it would have been limited to big cities only. We are the only country which protected our right to shop, but did not protect our right to life. We had an example of Germany. We had examples like New Zealand and Australia before us. Italy used to ask others to learn from their experience. Poor countries are also combating the Covid-19, there is not a single death in Vietnam, and it is because they faced the pandemic with unity and harmony. They saved their life and economy. We were being given Sweden as an example, but today, Sweden’s leaders are apologizing because the most deaths and economic loss has occurred there. Today, Sweden has it worse than any of its neighbours.
He said that I have two questions. How many business and industrialist were met during the lockdown? How many doctors, nurses and labourers were met? This tells us who are prime minister is worried about. Benazir Income Support Program’s four months worth of money was distributed at a time. The rich were given relief. The poor people were not provided with any sort of relief. There should have been a 40% increase in BISP. You have to transfer cash to our poor and middle class people as well. This budget is a traditional PTIMF budget, our finance minister agrees. He says that they are more worried for IMF more than for our people. They have appeased the IMF by crushing the poor.
It is said that the GDP will face a -0.4% growth, the World Bank states it will be -2.5%. They said that they would not obtain a loan from the State Bank but during 2019-2020, Rs. 1720 million were obtained from the State Bank. They claim that Rs. 5000 billion were returned as a loan payment, when you have taken a new loan just to pay the old one. This government has faced the least growth but has obtained the most loans. He said that the government should have imposed taxes on the rich and given relief to the people. The poor people suffer the most under the burden of indirect taxes. You should have imposed a ‘Covid-19 Super Tax’. A wealth tax should have been imposed and those with assets worth more than 2 crore should have been asked to pay 1%. This is an anti-poor and anti-labourer budget. You should have increased the salaries and the pensions. In our tenure, we had increased the pensions by 100% and the salaries by 135%. We demand an increase in salaries and pensions. Employees are risking their lives to combat Covid-19. There should be an increase in everyone’s salaries, be it the doctors and nurses or the police. During a pandemic, ten thousand steel mill employees were rendered unemployed. We cannot lay them off, the land is ours, if you have to do something, then talk to us. You cannot lay them off after the Corona Bill in Sindh. They are an oppressive government. They have decreased former FATA’s budget during a pandemic. The money that has been allotted to tackle the locust issue is insufficient. This is a matter of life and death for our farmers and us.
Chairman Bilawal said that today too, they are being unjust to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are not being given their share of the Hydel Project. Balochistan’s money is being deducted and given to Islamabad, this is unjust. You deduct Rs. 6 billion from Gilgit Baltistan’s budget. You are being unjust to Sindh as well. You are deducting Rs. 229 billion from us. Countries are not run like this, we are not colonies. This is PTI’s fourth budget, this is anti-education and they are deducting 37% from Balochistan’s HEC. How oppressive are you during a pandemic? Before the lockdown and Covid-19 you were harming us. Your own report says that due to the IMF deal, the economy which was first in the ICU is now on the ventilator. After Covid-19, you have to stay away from IMF’s approach and would have to invest in your own agriculture. He said that this government is trying to hide behind the Covid-19 and in the name of coronavirus, they are gathering funds from and outside the country but are not spending them on corona patients. Rs. 70 billion is not being allotted for corona but for their members’ own projects. They want to steal the hospitals of provincial governments. Why do you want to fight with the provinces during a pandemic? The NICVD treats the most number of patients suffering from heart diseases free of cost. Imran Khan’s relative has destroyed the hospitals in KP. You want to destroy every successful PPP project and we will not let this happen. For a long time, we are trying to get as little help from the federal government as we can. We should increase our local revenue so that we can get a greater share.
We should take decisions based on consensus; we should not tamper with the fault lines that are the 18th Amendment and the NFC Awards. A woman was martyred in Turbat, the whole of Balochistan protested. A PTM candidate was murdered in FATA. This is a fault line. We should not tamper with them, Chairman PPP said.
He said that you only allotted Rs. 10 billion for locusts, but Rs. 80 billion for a dam. You give a seat to AJK in NFC like a province which is unconstitutional and we all have to bear the repercussions of this act which is why we demand to withdraw this NFC award. You cannot shy away from the responsibility from a ‘right to life’. We cannot say that the government is not responsible for the lives, health facilities and food security of the people. We have to not only save the lives of the people, but also the economy of the country. We reject this budget, Chairman Bilawal concluded.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/16/chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-calls-the-budget-anti-poor-labour-farmer-and-people/