KABUL, March 24: The chief judge trying the case of an Afghan man for converting from Islam to Christianity on Friday criticised international calls for his release, saying no one has the right to exert pressure on the court.

Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard on Friday joined the western leaders who have expressed outrage at the case, while in Kabul clerics condemned Abdul Rahman as an apostate who deserved to die.

Howard said he would protest personally to President Hamid Karzai. “This is appalling. When I saw the report about this I felt sick, literally,” Howard told an Australian radio network. —AP

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan strikes
Updated 26 Dec, 2024

Afghan strikes

The military option has been employed by the govt apparently to signal its unhappiness over the state of affairs with Afghanistan.
Revamping tax policy
26 Dec, 2024

Revamping tax policy

THE tax bureaucracy appears to have convinced the government that it can boost revenues simply by taking harsher...
Betraying women voters
26 Dec, 2024

Betraying women voters

THE ECP’s recent pledge to eliminate the gender gap among voters falls flat in the face of troubling revelations...
Kurram ‘roadmap’
Updated 25 Dec, 2024

Kurram ‘roadmap’

The state must provide ironclad guarantees that the local population will be protected from all forms of terrorism.
Snooping state
25 Dec, 2024

Snooping state

THE state’s attempts to pry into citizens’ internet activities continue apace. The latest in this regard is a...
A welcome first step
25 Dec, 2024

A welcome first step

THE commencement of a dialogue between the PTI and the coalition parties occupying the treasury benches in ...