KARACHI, March 11: The Citizens for Democracy, a non-governmental organisation, will launch a signature campaign on Saturday on a letter addressed to the president, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan “for interfaith harmony and demand for action against calls for violence and vigilante action”, says a press release issued on Friday. After over 800 online endorsements, the CFD has decided to launch its mass letter campaign, which will begin at the Jahangir Kothari Parade on Saturday from 11am to 7pm. At the event, open to the public, people will sign the letter and post it at the venue.

The CFD is soliciting signatures of citizens on the letter addressed to the president, PM and CJP, asking them to take action and uphold the rule of law.

The purpose of this campaign, according to the media release, is to help fellow citizens to speak up in support of interfaith harmony and in condemnation of growing intolerance and extremism in the country; write to the president, PM and CJP to demand immediate action against people who threaten the ideology of Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Pakistan.

Referring to the murder of Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the CFD in its letter has maintained that the incident highlights the rampant lawlessness in Pakistan and the impunity with which extremist forces operate in an atmosphere where calls to vigilante violence are publicly made, celebrated, and rewarded.

It has urged the government and its functionaries to swiftly apprehend, charge, try and punish the murderers of Mr Bhatti and take immediate measures to curb this trend.

It also urged all political parties and parliamentarians to take a clear stand on this issue: no citizen has the right to cast aspersions on the faith and beliefs of any other citizen or to term someone a ‘blasphemer’, ‘kafir’, or ‘non-Muslim’.

The CFD has also called upon the federal and provincial governments, the judiciary and the security and law enforcement agencies to ensure protection for such persons as former information minister Sherry Rehman, who are under threat from extremist elements.

It also urged parliament to legislate if there are loopholes in laws against vilification campaigns, incitement and condoning of violence, and the federal and provincial governments should prosecute those who instigate, threaten, or promise to reward violence. Judges convict those proven to have vilified, incited, perpetrated or condoned violence.

It has also called upon political leaders to openly dissociate from platforms where vilification, incitement and condoning takes place and police should uphold the law against vilification, incitement, perpetration, condoning of violence, and the PM, CMs, president and governors must ensure the police are upholding the law. It urged intelligence agencies to also play a positive role in this regard.

The CFD has urged the media to exercise responsibility and agree on a code of ethics that prohibits the uncritical transmission of the condoning of violence.