Shujaat for new law to prevent misuse Posted by naila , Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 2:14 AM, in Labels: TOP STORIES

President of Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Wednesday called for refraining from any change in the Blasphemy Law saying that it would open Pandora Box urging for a new law to avoid misuse of the Blasphemy Law...link

Taseer's assassin Mumtaz Qadri presented before ATC Posted by naila , at 2:11 AM, in Labels: TOP STORIES

Many in Pakistan felt that the governor's critique of blasphemy laws made his death, if not justifiable, understandable – and others went even further

Minutes after the murder of the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province Salmaan Taseer I saw a veteran Urdu columnist on a news channel. He was being what, in breaking news jargon, is called a "presenter's friend". "It is sad of course that this has happened but . . ."

I watched in the desperate hope that he wouldn't go into the ifs and buts of a brutal murder in the middle of Pakistan's capital. By this time we knew that Governor Taseer had been shot dead by a man in police uniform, probably one of his own police guards. The news ticker on screen informed us that the postmortem was under way. Later we would find out that he took 27 bullets. Not a single shot was fired by his security detail. It seemed too early for analysis, but the presenter's friend looked mildly smug, as if he had been mulling over arguments in his head long before the governor was shot. Although it wasn't required, the presenter egged him on. "But you see these are sensitive matters. He should have watched his words. He shouldn't have spoken so carelessly."

What were the late governor's words? I knew about his outspoken stance on the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in a blasphemy case. In a village near Lahore, she served water to some Muslim women who refused to drink it from her glass. (This is quite a common expression of prejudice against lower-caste Christians in Pakistan.) They argued. A couple of days later, the village mullah filed a case saying she had insulted our Prophet.

I knew about his habit of making fun of his political foes, mostly through Twitter. But I still wanted to find out what his exact words were. If a billionaire who is also a governor and enjoys the highest level of security imaginable in Pakistan, can be shot for saying something, it's in everyone's interest to find out what those words were. I mean what if you were to utter those words by mistake?

The presenter chipped in helpfully. "Yes, he did call our blasphemy law a black law." Thoughtfully, the presenter's friend nodded his head in agreement.

Murder solved.

Only last month I had followed another blasphemy case. A pharmaceutical salesman walked into a well respected paediatrician's clinic in the city of Hyderabad and tried to sell him his company's medicines. The good doctor was in a bad mood. He tossed the salesman's visiting card in the bin. The very next day the salesman got together some local religious party activists and got a blasphemy case registered against the doctor.

How did the wily salesman manage to achieve that?

You see, Mohammed was part of salesman's name, as it is with half the male population of this country, including this scribe. So if you toss away a piece of paper with the word Mohammed written on it, you are obviously committing a blasphemy against our beloved Prophet. And there is a law against that in this country, introduced by Pakistan's military dictator and part-architect of the global jihad industry, General Ziaul Haq. The law is popularly known as the Namoos-e-Risalat Act; the law to protect the honour of the Prophet, and there is only one punishment: death by hanging. A number of non-Muslims as well as Muslims have been awarded this punishment, but nobody has actually been hanged yet. Higher courts usually overturn the punishment. In many cases a mob, or motivated gunmen, have carried out the punishment themselves.

Taseer had obviously not committed any blasphemy against the Holy Prophet or any namesake of his. As coverage progresses, politicians and pundits lectured the dead governor about the importance of choosing one's words carefully and respecting the sensitivities of one's fellow Muslims, especially if one lives in a Muslim country. A couple of liberal TV journalists almost stumbled over their words trying to explain that the governor had never committed any act that could be called blasphemous, he had only criticised a law. It is a man-made law, we were reminded by an occasional sensible voice. And the governor only criticised that man-made law, "because no true Muslim," every single politician, journalist, pundit was at pains to point out, "can even think of committing blasphemy against the Holy Prophet." As if it were a proven fact that all non-Muslims have nothing better to do than thinking of devious ways of maligning our Holy Prophet's name. They were careful to add "may peace be upon him" every time the name was mentioned. Some of them offered to sacrifice their own lives to protect the honour of our Holy Prophet.

It sickened me to think that the honour of the Prophet of the second largest religion in the world needed protection from these people. And then it occurred to me that they were actually sending secret signals to any would be killers that said, "Look we speak the same language, we are not blasphemers like that governor guy. We watch our words. We know about the sensitivities of our Muslim brothers. In fact we are as sensitive as you are."

Taseer's body was still in the morgue when I started to find out more about the sensitivities of our people. Whereas most people rushed home and sat glued to their TVs, probably agreeing or disagreeing with those TV presenters, many of those interviewed at random seemed to approve. "Well, murder is wrong, but he did say bad things about our Prophet," one man said. Another claimed that if he had got a chance he would do the same thing. When asked how they knew that Taseer had committed blasphemy, they just shrugged as if saying they just knew. As if they had decided that he just seemed like the kind of guy who would do something like this.

Even before Taseer was given a burial, his killer had become a hero of sorts. Constable Mumtaz Qadri belonged to Punjab's Elite Force, a police force usually deployed to provide security to VIPs. And although he had acted alone, at least some of his colleagues knew that he was planning to assassinate the governor. He had made them promise that they wouldn't shoot him in the act. Hence, after pumping 27 bullets into the governor's body, he calmly handed himself over to his colleagues who had apparently kept their promise. They tied his hands and legs with a nylon rope and took him away. By the evening, Qadri's picture had replaced a thousand profile pictures on Facebook. He was a mujahid, a lion, a true hero of Islam. We wish there were more of him.

Little is known about Qadri at this stage, except that he attended pro-blasphemy law rallies and was considered a bit of a religious nut. His name tells us that he wasn't born into the kind of family where lessons of jihad are served with school meals. Qadris are a subsect of Barelvi Sunni Muslims, who were traditionally more likely to enjoy Qawwali music and distributing rice pudding to celebrate their spirituality. Pakistan has seen so much sectarian strife over the last two decades that no single group is now above the fray. Last year, a wave of suicide bombings across the country targeted Sufi shrines, the places millions of Pakistanis have traditionally preferred to mosques. Now the devotees of these shrines publicly pledge to save them through an armed struggle. But when it comes to the honour of our Holy Prophet the devotees of these shrines and those who consider this whole shrine thing a big bad blasphemy, all come together. And everyone else stays silent or applauds them on Facebook.

So who are these people who lionise the cold-blooded murderer? Your regular kids, really. Some Pakistani bloggers have tried to get these fan pages banned for inciting hate. But as soon as one shuts down, another five crop up. Those who have trawled the profiles of these supporters have said that they have MBA degrees, they follow Premier League football, they love the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Miley Cyrus figures on lots of these pages. And as the Pakistani blogger who blogs under the name Kala Kawa pointed out: "If you go through the profiles of Qadri supporters on Facebook, you'd think Justin Bieber was the cause of extremism in Pakistan."

Many of Taseer's Twitter followers were retweeting his old messages full of courage, humour and, above all, his humanity, his decision to stand with Pakistan's most powerless citizen, a poor non-Muslim woman languishing in a death cell. In one of his messages, he had said that he'd not bow down even if he was the last man standing. Only eight hours before his assassination, he tweeted an Urdu couplet by Shakeel 

Veena Malik will dance to Sheila ki jawani Posted by naila , Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 1:09 PM, in Labels: Entertainment

Pakistani actress Veena 
Malik will perform Tees Maar Khan’s popular song Sheila ki jawani for the grand finale of Bigg Boss.

Arrangements for the performance have already been finalised, according to the Pakistani media on Tuesday.

According to a source from the channel that runs the reality show, the decision was taken since Malik is the most suitable contestant in the show to perform the song. Malik’s manager Sohail Rashid added, “She had been very popular during the show. She was nominated seven times to be evicted. But the Indians voted for her six times which means she has a large fan following.”

On the many negative rumours surrounding Malik, Rashid said, “The activities of the contestants onBigg Boss are recorded round the clock and the show’s duration is hardly an hour. So many things are being quoted out of context. She offered prayers in the house but nobody mentioned it. The things that contestants did at the show were part of the game and the show must be taken as a game.”

Shahzain Bugti sent to jail Posted by naila , at 1:07 PM, in Labels: Pakistan

QUETTA: The Judicial Magistrate one Quetta, Mohib Ullah Tareen’s court has sent JWP’s provincial president Shah Zain bugti and his 26 colleagues to jail on Monday.

The police remand of Bugti and his guards was ended on Saturday.

Strict security arrangements were in place on the arrival of Bugti and his colleagues at the District Court.

Outside the court room Bugti was optimistic while talking to the press about going to Dera Bugti on January 28 and lead the long march, however declared his brother as his replacement in case of his absence.

Paramilitary troops had arrested Shahzain Bugti and the 26 security guards on Dec 22 after allegedly finding a huge quantity of illegal arms and ammunition in vehicles of his convoy coming from the border town of Chaman.

I am not as big as Aamir or Salman, says Shahrukh Posted by naila , at 1:05 PM, in Labels: Entertainment

The self proclaimed King of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, seems to have had a change of heart. After years of rigours in the industry, fighting it out with two of his biggest rivals in B-town, SRK eventually passed the Bollywood crown to his contemporaries Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, Zee News reported. 

On the couch of ‘Koffee with Karan’, SRK, in one of his most mellow moods, had spoken candidly about friends, co-stars, films and much more. But one remarkable revelation that SRK spilled while talking to KJo was that he needs to grow up as Salman and Aamir have!

Shahrukh, nevertheless put to rest the Aamir-SRK war when he told show host Karan Johar, “I am not and can never be as big a star and actor like Salman or Aamir. I would like to grow up to be like them one day.”

Speaking to a daily, a source present on the show said, “For years Shahrukh and Aamir have been passing snide remarks about each being King and Ace of the Box Office and the masses.”

Talking about SRK and Aamir’s equation, the source further added, “Shahrukh and Aamir are two of the most popular Khans and adored by thousands of fans, so the fight for the ultimate title has always been quite an issue with these two stars, as they have always managed to topple each other at some point in time or the other. They have even sarcastically claimed their number one spot at media events.”

While both regaled with big hits like ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘My Name Is Khan’, off late, their rivalry hit an all-time high when news surfaced about both A-listers signing International projects with basic storyline of the city of Mumbai.

Reports confirm that SRK is to doing a project with Danny Boyle for a film titled ‘Maximum City’, while Aamir Khan is to work in an adaptation of ‘Extreme City’ for producer Anubhav Sinha. The film is said to be based on the biggest slum of Mumbai, Dharavi.

However, another reason why SRK might have given up his throne to his adversaries was cited by the source, when he said, “The fact is Aamir and Salman are senior to SRK in terms of having entered the industry before him. So, that`s also SRK`s tongue-in-cheek way of saying he is younger to them in experience and still has a lot to learn,” the report stated. 

Pakistan finally name World Cup squad Posted by naila , at 1:03 PM, in Labels: Sports »

Pakistan selectors on Tuesday included spot-fixing suspect Kamran Akmal in a preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup but left out former captain Shoaib Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

The committee twice deferred announcing the squad as they sought clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on players who were reportedly under suspicion of match-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England last year.

Shahid Afridi is expected to retain the one-day captaincy for the World Cup.

The 10th World Cup will be hosted jointly by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2, with 14 teams competing.

Pakistan will miss former opener Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, who are suspended on spot-fixing charges.

They appear before an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal in Doha from January 6-11 and could face life bans.

A squad for six one-days against New Zealand will be announced next week.

Pakistan received a two-week extension from the ICC on the December 19 deadline to announce the probables as they sought clearance on three players.

Teams now have until January 19 to announce a 15-man squad.

"We are satisfied that we have selected the best squad from amongst the available players," said chief selector Mohsin Khan.

"I request the whole nation to back the selected players who need all the encouragement to win the World Cup," said Khan, a former Pakistan opener.

Commenting on the media reports regarding the clearance of certain players, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said: "The integrity committee has given its views on some players to the selection committee, which has taken into consideration that input and has selected the probables."

Kamran, 28, has been out of the team since Pakistan's most recent tour of England was rocked by spot-fixing allegations. He was also not selected for the team's neutral-venue series against South Africa.

He was excluded from the Twenty20 and Test squad for the New Zealand tour despite recovering from an appendix operation. He has since featured in domestic matches and scored his highest first-class score of 268.

But there have been suspicions of match-fixing against Kamran as well, with the ICC reportedly issuing notice to him regarding Pakistan's controversial defeat against Australia in the Sydney Test in January 2010.

Kamran claimed, however, he had contacted the ICC regarding his selection and was told that he was cleared for selection for the national team.

The 28-year-old Malik, who married Indian tennis star Sania Mirza last April, has been out of favour since a Twenty20 series against Australia in England in July.

Kamran, Malik and Kaneria appeared before PCB's integrity committee, formed on the directives of ICC, and submitted details of their assets and accounts last week but only Kamran was cleared.

Veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf was also recalled among the probables after being left out of the Test series against New Zealand because of fitness problems.

Also included was all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

World Cup 2011 preliminary squad: Shahid Afridi, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umer, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Naved Yasin, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanveer Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheama, Asad Ali.

Pakistani governor opposing blasphemy law killed Posted by naila , at 1:00 PM, in Labels: TOP STORIES

ISLAMABAD — The governor of Pakistan's wealthiest and most populous province was shot dead in the capital Tuesday by one of his own guards, who later told interrogators that he was angry about the politician's stance against the country's blasphemy law, officials said.

The killing of Punjab province Governor Salman Taseer was the most high-profile assassination of a political figure in Pakistan since former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007, and it rattled a country already dealing with crises ranging from a potential collapse of the government to a virulent Islamist insurgency.

The killing could also add to concerns about inroads by Islamist extremists and fundamentalists into Pakistan's security establishment and represented another blow to the country's Pakistan's embattled secular movement.

Taseer was a member of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and a close associate of the president. The governor was vocal on a range of subjects, even using Twitter to get across his views.

Punjab is a major base and recruiting ground for Pakistan's powerful military and security establishment, which many fear is coming under the increasing influence of religious fundamentalists as Islamist movements have spread in Pakistan. Some analysts have suggested that fundamentalist members of the security establishment pose a greater threat of Pakistan nuclear proliferation than militant groups such as the Taliban.

In recent days, as the People's Party has faced the loss of its coalition partners, the 56-year-old Taseer had insisted that the government will survive. But it was his very public stance against the blasphemy law that apparently led to his killing.

Pakistan's blasphemy law has come under greater scrutiny in recent weeks after a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The law effectively orders death for anyone convicted of insulting Islam.

Taseer had said Bibi should be granted a pardon, a stance that earned him opprobrium from Islamist groups across the country as well as threats, according to Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister for minorities.

"I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightest pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I'm the last man standing," Taseer wrote on Twitter on Dec. 31.

"He was the most courageous voice after Benazir Bhutto on the rights of women and religious minorities," said a crying Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to Zardari and friend of Taseer. "God, we will miss him."

An intelligence official interrogating the suspect, identified as Mumtaz Qadri, told The Associated Press that the bearded elite force police commando was boasting about the assassination, saying he was proud to have killed a blasphemer.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media on the record.

Qadri is 26 and from Barakhao, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, said Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

Dozens of Pakistanis are sentenced to death each year under the blasphemy law, which dates back to the 1980s military rule of Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq. Most cases are thrown out by higher courts and no executions have been carried out, but human rights activists have long complained that the law is used to settle rivalries and persecute religious minorities.

Under pressure from Islamist parties, the People's Party said recently it would not pursue changes to the law.

Bhatti, the minorities minister, said Pakistan's religious minorities would join the People's Party in its plans to have a two-week mourning period for Taseer. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also announced a three-day period of national mourning and ordered flags lowered to half-mast.

Police official Mohammad Iftikhar said Taseer was gunned down after he reached Kohsar Market, a shopping center in Islamabad popular with Westerners and wealthy Pakistanis. Five other people were wounded as other security personnel responded to the attack.

"It was one shot first and then a burst. I think nine or 10 shots," said R.A. Khan, a witness who was drinking coffee at the time. "I rushed and saw policemen over another police commando, who was lying on road with his face down."

Taseer was believed to be on his way to see someone for a meal, Malik said. Other members of his security detail were being questioned, Malik said, who added that the security for Taseer was provided by the Punjab government.

"We will see whether it was an individual act or someone had asked him" to do it, Malik said of the attacker.

Bullet casings and blood covered much of the scene at the market, and police quickly cordoned off the area. At the hospital, People's Party supporters wept and beat their heads after the news.

Outside his residence in the eastern city of Lahore, hundreds of supporters chanted slogans on his behalf, while in the central city of Multan dozens of People's Party supporters burned tires and demanded the attackers be punished.

Human rights activists were dismayed at Taseer's death, especially considering the difficulties the People's Party has had in advancing any legislation on human rights because of its alliances with Islamist parties.

"Taseer showed himself to be a rare politician, willing to risk his life in espousing an unambiguous position against discrimination and abuse," said Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch.

After Taseer was nominated for the governor's post in Punjab, the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N expressed reservations, and he frequently clashed with that party. PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif visited the hospital where Taseer's body was taken and promised an inquiry into the death.