Saturday, September 12, 2020
‘Kafir Kafir Shia Kafir’: Sunni extremists of Sipah Sahaba lead anti-Shia ‘protests’ in Karachi, pelt stones
Twitter user Syed Hussain Mujtaba Rizvi wrote, "So this all has started. Sipah Sahaba & Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan chanting Kafir Kafir Shia Kafir in Karachi. Imam Bargah Imamia at Lines Area under attack by the same goons, some pelting on Bargah reported."
On Friday, thousands of Sunni extremists hit the streets of Karachi to lead anti-Shia protests, thereby escalating tensions between the two Islamic sects and sparking fears of a series of violent events. The demonstrations took place in the backdrop of blasphemy allegations against Shiite Pakistani leaders for allegedly making objectionable comments about historic Islamic personalities during the live broadcast of Muharram procession on TV.
The rally took place near the Jinnah Mausoleum, also known as Mazar-e-Quaid. The Sunni extremists, affiliated with anti-Shia groups such as Sipah-e-Sahaba and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan, referred to Shias as ‘infidels’ (Kafirs). Reportedly, Sipah-e-Sahaba has been responsible for killing hundreds of Shia Muslims in Pakistan in the past.
Sunni Muslims refer Shias as ‘Kaffirs’
Several videos of the said protests have come to light. In one such video, Sunni extremists atop buses can be seen waving flags and shouting Anti-Shia slogans. “Kafir, Kafir Shia Kafir (Infidels, infidels, Shia infidels)”, the demonstrators were heard as saying.
Twitter user Syed Hussain Mujtaba Rizvi wrote, “So this all has started. Sipah Sahaba & Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan chanting Kafir Kafir Shia Kafir in Karachi. Imam Bargah Imamia at Lines Area under attack by the same goons, some pelting on Bargah reported.”
Stone pelting at Imambargah by Sunni extremists
In another video, Sunni extremists associated with Sipah Sahaba can be seen pelting stones at an Imambargah (congregation halls for Shia Muslims during ceremonies) during their demonstrations in Karachi.
During a recent speech, a politician from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam political party, Qari Usman, said, “We will not tolerate any more defamation.” Shias, who constitute 20% of the Muslims in Pakistan, have been targeted during Muharram processions. While there has been a general decline in violence against Shiites since 2013, sectarian attacks continue unabated in several pockets of the country.
Blasphemy in Pakistan
Blasphemy in Pakistan is an offence, punishable by death. The archaic law is often misused to target religious and ethnic minorities to settle personal scores. Even if charges of blasphemy are not proved, the accused may be lynched to death by Islamist mobs.
The blasphemy law states, ”Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”
Pakistani Sunni Muslims refer to Coronavirus as ‘Shia virus’
Earlier, several Pakistanis took to social media to blame the Shias who returned from pilgrimage from Iran for spreading coronavirus. Some even said that more than China, the country where the deadly virus originated, Shias are responsible and the Chinese virus should actually be called ‘Shia Virus’. Some also accused the Shia Muslims of ‘intentionally’ bringing the virus to Pakistan. Some even accused Shias of being enemies of Islam.
https://www.opindia.com/2020/09/pakistan-karachi-anti-shia-protest-by-sunni-extremist-islamic-fundamentalism-details/
#motorwaycase #Hang_RapistsInPublic #Pakistan: - Motorway gang rape and fallout
As if the horrific gang rape incident on the motorway the other night was not bad enough, Lahore’s police chief chose to set a new low for himself, his department as well as the country in the immediate aftermath by effectively laying the blame for the savage attack on the victim herself. The disgust and outrage that has swept all social places, especially the online world, is not just understandable but very justified as well. It must take a special kind of talent to be this desensitised and blind to the fact that it is the pathetic breakdown of his own institution that has made the whole country so unsafe for women and children to begin with.
Not just common Pakistanis but opposition parties as well, especially PML-N, have now called for the scalp of the Lahore CCPO. Yet while that decision to send him packing has to be taken at the level of the provincial chief executive, especially if such an order descends from even higher up, there can be no denying that people who cannot sympathise or empathise with victims of the most despicable attacks cannot and must not be given the responsibility of ensuring our safety and security. One can only imagine how much worse the ordeal of the poor victim must have become, who was dragged and gang raped in front of her little children, when she got to know of the views of the city’s top police officer.
Now, even if as per the prime minister’s instructions the police force is able to somehow get its act together and find the culprits and the courts hand them fitting punishments there is still little if any comfort the victim and her family can take from the execution and exercise of the law. Eventually, no matter how this matter is investigated or what angle lawmakers look at it from, everybody will reach the same conclusion that such crimes are rampant because the perpetrators know of the very low chance of ever getting caught or convicted.
That is precisely why police chiefs should, instead of heaping blame on victims, make efforts to sort out their departments. All in all, what was already a sad day because of the sick mentality of certain individuals and the harm they brought to a mother and her family was made even worse because of another kind of disagreeable mindset that is enjoyed by one of the most senior police officers in the city. There is an urgent need for some relevant authority to introduce some sort of sanity to this situation.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/665599/motorway-gang-rape-and-fallout/
#motorwaycase #Hang_RapistsInPublic #Pakistan: How to approach the issue of rape amid a political controversy
Rape allegations are generally not taken seriously in Pakistan, with some people even blaming the victim for having a political motive. At the same time, activists say that "false accusations" can harm local movements.
In 2005, then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf claimed that rape accusations were an easy way to make money.
"You must understand the environment in Pakistan... This has become a money-making concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped," Musharraf told the Washington Post in an apparent reference to the rape case of Mukhtaran Mai.
Mai, an illiterate woman, was gang-raped in June 2002 on orders of a "panchayat" (village council) as "punishment" for her younger brother's alleged illicit relations with a woman from a rival tribe. The rape made international headlines, with women's rights groups demanding justice for Mai and punishment for the rapists.
Local and international rights organizations slammed Musharraf's statement and demanded an apology. They accused him of trivializing a heinous crime. Musharraf justified his remarks by saying he had only expressed a commonly held opinion rather than his own.
Activists say rape allegations are seldom taken seriously in the Muslim-majority South Asian country, with some people accusing "immoral women" of "deserving" the assault. It is also common for people to bring the accuser's background and political affiliation into the rape discussion.
In 2017, Ayesha Gulalai, a former member of the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, accused the current Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan of sexual harassment. She alleged that Khan sent her inappropriate text messages in 2013. Khan's party denied these allegations and PTI workers unleashed a social media campaign against Gulalai, accusing her of having a "political agenda" to malign their leader.
Sexual harassment is a 'crime'
In Pakistan, the terms "agenda" and "character" are often used to discredit women who speak out against sexual harassment. "Why is the woman talking about harassment and rape after such a long time?" is another excuse that is used to undermine the severity of allegations.
Women's rights activists say that allegations of sexual assault need to be taken seriously irrespective of their timing and the surrounding political controversy.
"There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to address sexual harassment or rape allegations. They are crimes under the law. Evidence is required to prove allegations, no matter when the alleged crime occurred. Political considerations must not interfere with the rule of law," Tahira Abdullah, a veteran women's rights activist, told DW.
"Sexual harassment is a crime and it needs to be addressed under Pakistani law," she added.
After the center-left Pakistan People's Party (PPP) came to power in 2008, it introduced several laws to combat sexual harassment and violence against women. However, legal experts say the laws use dubious terminology to define sexual crimes.
Osama Malik, a criminal law expert, is of the view that judges, police officials and investigation agencies are not properly trained to deal with sexual harassment cases.
"Women continue to feel reluctant about reporting harassment," Malik told DW.
Damage to local movements
Some rights activists say that false rape allegations could also damage the local women's rights movements.
"If a woman says she has been sexually harassed, she must be taken seriously. At the same time, she needs to prove her allegations in the court of law. Nobody is allowed to misuse law. If the allegations are proved in the court, the culprit must be punished," Farzana Bari, an Islamabad-based women's rights activist, told DW.
"If some women start misusing sexual harassment laws for political gains, it will damage the women's rights movements," Bari added. "It will eventually harm women who are genuinely harassed and are the real victims. They will not be taken seriously then."
Pakistan ranks as the sixth most dangerous country in the world for women, with cases of sexual crimes and domestic violence rapidly on the rise. Activists blame society's patriarchal attitudes for the problem.
In the past few years, the #MeToo movement has taken hold in Pakistan, with many women taking to the streets to demand their rights.
https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-how-to-approach-the-issue-of-rape-amid-a-political-controversy/a-54339168
Pakistani police hunt for gang rape suspects as protests held across country
The woman, who police say is in her early 30s, was driving late on Tuesday night outside the eastern city of Lahore with her two children when her vehicle ran out of fuel.
She phoned police for help, but before they arrived two men took her and her children out of the vehicle at gunpoint and raped her beside the highway.
Inam Ghani, Inspector General of Punjab province, where the incident took place, told reporters on Saturday night that police had identified the two suspects through DNA tracing.
But the protesters are not satisfied, and called for the sacking of the lead police investigator assigned to the case, Omar Sheikh, who has repeatedly pointed out what he felt were mistakes made by the victim, such she should have taken a different, busier, highway, not travelled at night, and made sure her vehicle had enough fuel.He also said she appeared to be under the impression Pakistan was as safe for women as France, "her country of residence". Requests for comment to the French Embassy in Islamabad went unanswered.
In Islamabad, several hundred protesters gathered, some waved French flags, and others held signs saying "hang the rapists."
Hundreds, mostly women, also gathered in Lahore, Karachi, and even the conservative northwestern city of Peshawar. "Shatter the silence, stop the violence," read one placard in Peshawar.
Global rights watchdogs have pointed out that Pakistan has not done enough to stem violence against women, including ensuring perpetrators are held accountable.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/pakistani-police-hunt-for-gang-rape-suspects-as-protests-held-across-country-13106082
سانحہ موٹروے پر کہانیاں نہ سنائیں، اقدامات اٹھائے جائیں، نفیسہ شاہ
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) کی سیکریٹری اطلاعات ڈاکٹر نفیسہ شاہ نے کہا ہے کہ کہانیاں نہ سنائی جائیں، سانحہ موٹروے کے مجرموں کو گرفتار کرکے سخت سزا دلوانے کے لیے ٹھوس اقدامات اٹھائے جائیں۔
ڈاکٹر نفیسہ شاہ نے ایک بیان میں کہا کہ وزیراعلیٰ پنجاب سردار عثمان بزدار اور انسپکٹر جنرل (آئی جی) پنجاب پولیس انعام غنی کہانیاں نہ سنائیں۔
انھوں نے سوال اٹھایا کہ جو وزیراعلیٰ غیرذمہ دار سی سی پی او لاہور عمر شیخ کو ان کے عہدے سے نہیں ہٹا سکتے اور نہ ہی ان کی بدزبانی پر کوئی کارروائی کرسکتے ہیں، وہ قانون کی رٹ کیسے بحال کر سکتے ہیں؟
نفیسہ شاہ نے کہا کہ ویسے تو وزیرِ مواصلات مراد سعید حکومتی مخالفین کے خلاف بیان بازی میں آپے سے باہر ہو جاتے ہیں مگر اس سانحے کے بعد وہ لاپتہ ہیں۔
انھوں نے یہ بھی کہا کہ نالائق وزیرِ مواصلات مراد سعید کو چاہیے تھا کہ میڈیا پر آکر اپنی نالائقی کا اعتراف کرتے، مگر وہ چوروں کی طرح چھپے ہوئے ہیں۔
نفیسہ شاہ نے وزیر مواسلات مراد سعید کی برطرفی کا بھی مطالبہ کردیا۔
پیپلز پارٹی کی سیکریٹری اطلاعات نے کہا کہ موٹروے پر سفر کے لیے پیسے تو لیے جاتے ہیں مگر سفر کرنے والوں کی حفاظت کا انتظام کیوں نہیں کیا جاتا؟
ان کا یہ بھی کہنا تھا کہ قوم متاثرہ خاتون اور ان کے خاندان سے انصاف چاہتی ہے۔
انھوں نے کہا کہ سانحہ موٹروے کے مجرموں کو گرفتاری عمل میں لاکر سخت سزا دلوانے کے لیے ٹھوس اقدامات اٹھائے جائیں۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/819716
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