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JHANG: The Kotwali police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 295/A of the Pakistan Penal Code (blasphemy law) against eight nominated and 60 unknown members of the District Bar Association here on Monday.
A couple of days ago, on the orders of the Kotwali district police officer, the police had registered a criminal case against Kotwali Station House Officer Umar Daraz, ASI Mubashir and five other policemen for thrashing and keeping a lawyer Aftab Nadeem in illegal detention. When the police did not arrest the nominated accused police officials, the DBA members went on strike till the arrest of the SHO and his subordinates.
On the third day of the lawyers’ protest Arshad Mahmood, a resident of Basti Attawali, Jhang Sadar, through an application informed the police that during the protest some lawyers had shouted slogans with the name of SHO Umar Daraz and the mention of the name Umar had hurt the applicant’s religious emotions.
The Kotwali police lodged an FIR (No 294/14) against eight nominated and 60 unnamed lawyers under Section 295/A of the PPC.
Sources said it was an exceptional FIR in which the lawyers who were protesting against the police highhandedness were booked under blasphemy law. The issue would be taken up by Punjab and Pakistan Bar Councils.
Some DBA members alleged SHO Rana Umer Daraz belonged to Faisalabad and was a relative of a prominent Punjab minister. They alleged the police registered the case against the lawyers as a counter to the FIR against the SHO.
District Police Officer Zeeshan Asghar was not available for a comment on the issue.
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On DawnNews
May 13, 2014 09:01am
Blasphemy law is incredible. It hands over divine powers to unscrupulous humans. Long live Pakistan.
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May 13, 2014 09:37am
Seems a clear retaliatory tactic by Police,act of Blasphemy with such a huge score of involved persons alleged..come on Punjab Police,be rationale .Jhang is the city which saw huge bloodshed in the name of religion on behest of such a baseless complaints and acccusations .Lawyers should not be targeted in this henious way.
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May 13, 2014 09:44am
If blasphemy cases continue, only a few faithful of Islam would be left in the land of the pure.
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May 13, 2014 09:48am
This is as bizarre as it can get
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May 13, 2014 10:01am
Oh boy! this is ridiculous
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May 13, 2014 10:12am
Yet again, only in Pakistan............
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May 13, 2014 10:16am
Good thing can happen with any body. These divine powers need divine intervention. It is all happening.
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May 13, 2014 10:27am
My dear country men....The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.
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May 13, 2014 10:32am
Is there any hope of rescinding the blasphemy law in the near future?
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May 13, 2014 10:34am
@shakeel haider...My dear. I believe the root of all evil is abuse of power.
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May 13, 2014 10:36am
If this is not an abuse of blasphemy law than what is? Its time to scrap these laws.
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May 13, 2014 10:37am
@Last Word .... my last words...Our problem is not to find better values but to be faithful to those we profess.
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May 13, 2014 10:40am
Its madness. A nation gone mad and obsessed with the notion of blasphemy went on killing everyone indiscriminately who stands in the way. There is no one to stop this madness .
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May 13, 2014 10:51am
Incredible, Police which wants money/bribe before even discussing filing an FIR for real cases was so quick to file a frivolous FIR.
where is the government of the day and the Judiciary? There is no sign of rule of law. No gas or foreign loans/reserves are required to correct this situation. IMF and other aid donors have no solution for moral bankruptcy. The government can't seem to do what it should and can, but then there is no money in it for the politicians. justice is for sale.
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May 13, 2014 11:00am
something that people from the rest of the world can not even imagine, happens in our country.
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May 13, 2014 11:06am
Ban Blasphemy law Now!!!!.
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May 13, 2014 11:20am
So if I go by my first name Mohammad, no one can arrest me and I can do whatever I want?
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May 13, 2014 11:22am
May be begining of the end of such a law.
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May 13, 2014 11:47am
@Ban Blasphemy
even saying such thing is considered blasphemy in the books of Pakistani fanatics and they will book you
its no laughing matter for minorities that are spending time in jail or have been lynched by the "ordinary" public.
another law that is close to the hearts of the heartless fanatics is hadood ordinance
together these laws smite at the Pakistanis
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May 13, 2014 11:48am
Very interesting. I did not realize that the blasphemy law could also be applied to people who were protesting against injustice. How convenient!
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May 13, 2014 11:55am
If it is blasphemy to shout at someone who has a name belonging to the Holy Prophet or one of the first Muslims, then it should be against the law to name children with these names.
This shows how ridiculous this particular charge of blasphemy is. Are these people saying they are equal to the Prophet or the first Imams because they share a name?
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May 13, 2014 11:57am
common fanatics.... another license to kill
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May 13, 2014 11:59am
@Khurram I fully agree with you and would like to add: Blasphemy law is one of the worst imaginable Blasphemy itself.
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May 13, 2014 12:03pm
Exploitation
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May 13, 2014 01:24pm
When religion is used to make a mockery of religion.........then you know things are very, very WRONG.
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May 13, 2014 01:33pm
I feel that the law should be used as a double edge blade. In case that the persecution cannot prove their case then they should undergo staunch punishment as a result of intentionally involving and defaming the citizens of Pakistan. Unless we have this flimsy cases will be made to waste the time of judiciary and to terrorise citizens pl
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May 13, 2014 01:47pm
These tit for tat blasphemy cases are becoming Pakistan
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May 13, 2014 02:04pm
Blasphemey law - a toofa of ziaul-haq to the nation in 1980
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May 13, 2014 02:15pm
Only god fear can make a man kindhearted and prevent from doing injustices.
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May 13, 2014 02:15pm
There you go another "Tax" free entertainment for the whole world. If only Pakistan could earn by the entertainment it's providing.
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May 13, 2014 02:22pm
Blasphemy law has become mere tool that can be used any time to settle personal scores.
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May 13, 2014 02:30pm
These tit for tat blasphemy cases are becoming Pakistan
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May 13, 2014 03:07pm
What can one say? This FIR under blasphemy law is absolutely ridiculous. If things continue in this vein, Pakistan will become the laughing stock of the world.
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May 13, 2014 03:18pm
this is just disgusting. is there no one sane left in this country?
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May 13, 2014 03:19pm
This is a clear proof that the blasphemy laws are prone to the worst types of abuse. They are man made black laws which must be repealed. Those, like the Police in this instance, who evoke the name of the Prophet (pbuh) to further their ends are in fact the worst kind of blasphemers because they bring Islam into disrepute.
If a person accused of blasphemy is found to be innocent, should not the vexatious accusers be charged with the same offence? That might make people think twice.
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May 13, 2014 03:32pm
Scrap the law? Why? All laws are being misused by the Police, Legal community, Government Institutions and everyone who has the power to do so. Innocent people are nominated under section 302 for murder. ZAB was hanged on the basis of an FIR registered against him. Cases of theft of buffaloes have been registered again politicians. Please indicates which law is not being misused by the mighty ones in Pakistan? Are you going to scrap all laws?
Have a system to stop the misuse. Anyone involved in filing frivolous complaints should be taken to task and given exemplary punishment.
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May 13, 2014 03:48pm
@Saeeda the most relevant and wonderfull comment among all........you are a rela analyst
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May 13, 2014 03:50pm
Can there be anything be sillier I ask you? This would be funny if it wasn't so odiously poisonous.
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May 13, 2014 06:22pm
@Zahida Rehman Jatt I am fully with you.As long as ignorance prevails humanity in Pakistan will continue to suffer and watch from a distance.
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May 13, 2014 09:31pm
This must be the most stupid case ever after the case in which an infant was charged for murder a few weeks back. How low can the society go.
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