ISLAMABAD, March 5: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman's statement in the National Assembly on Friday that a perceived misuse of the blasphemy law could be discussed has been welcomed by the Presidency and minorities and civil society representatives.

However, in its cautious reaction, the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) has termed it a move that has come too late and after “causing so much damage to the country”.

On the other hand, another major religio-political party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) sees nothing new in JUI-F chief's remarks during a speech in the lower house on Friday, saying that the religious forces were united and firm that the blasphemy law could not be amended further “even for stopping its so-called misuse”.

“It is a welcome and good development,” president's spokesman Farhatullah Babar said when his comments were sought on Maulana Fazlur Rehman's statement.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Babar said “we” had always been calling for steps to stop the misuse of the law and been watching every development on the issue very carefully.

Similarly, a minority MNA from the PML-Q, Akram Masih Gill, termed the Maulana's statement very encouraging for the minority communities living in the country.

“We appreciate the Maulana's statement and that of MQM chief Altaf Hussain,” said Mr Gill, adding: “Such statements show that all the political parties now have the realisation that the (blasphemy) law is being misused.”

Mr Gill said his party chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had already stated that the misuse of the law should be stopped. He expressed the hope that other religious parties and groups would also respond positively to the call of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose party had significant representation in parliament.

A civil society activist, Fouzia Saeed, termed the Maulana's remarks positive, and said she believed the country's major issue was a “growing trend of militancy” and “it has gone beyond the issue of blasphemy law”.

She said that despite the government's categorical announcement that it did not intend to amend the law, people were being killed on the streets, showing that “militancy is a larger issue to be handled than the blasphemy law”.

She said the Maulana's remarks were “positive”, but it seemed that they had come due to the negative implication of the misuse of the law on the religious parties.

PML-N lawmaker Ayaz Amir said the Maulana's statement had come at a time when the religious parties had already pushed a “weak government” to the wall. “What is the use of it now when you have already created so much confusion on the issue and created a sense of fear in the country,” Mr Amir told Dawn.

The PML-N legislator was of the opinion that it was up to the government as to how it would react to it.

Jamaat-i-Islami deputy chief Liaquat Baloch, when contacted, said there was nothing new in the statement and it was only a section of the media and some “secular forces” which wanted to renew an already settled issue on the pretext of Shahbaz Bhatti's murder.

Mr Baloch said Maulana Fazlur Rehman had come to the JI headquarters in Lahore on Saturday and he did not say anything on the issue. He said all the religious parties, including the JUI-F, were united on the 'Namoos-i-Risalat' issue and that there was no need for any amendment to the law.

It was the responsibility of police and the government to check the misuse of any law in the country, he said, adding there was no need to giving too much significance to the Maulana's remarks.