LAHORE: A zealot threw a shoe at the Pakistan Muslim League-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif at Jamia Naeemia at an event, held to commemorate the death anniversary of Mufti Mohammad Hussain Naeemi, here on Sunday
The decision by former prime minister to show up at the seminary was a gutsy move after black ink was thrown at Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif less than 12 hours ago.
Nawaz had just taken to the podium when a bearded man wearing a red prayer cap from the first row stood up and threw a shoe at him, which hit him. The front row was within 10 feet of the podium and the attacker got so close to Nawaz that he could have dealt a fist blow to the PML-N Quaid had he wished so. The people present around the podium and those around the attacker grabbed him and dragged him away, while he screamed slogans in favour of Mumtaz Qadri, Namoos-e-Risalat and Khatm-e-Nubuwwat.
Meanwhile, a second man threw a shoe at Nawaz who had hardly recouped from the shock of the situation, but that throw missed the PML-N Quaid, hitting another person standing behind him. The second attacker too was captured and escorted away from the rostrum amidst a flurry of slaps and blows.
According to the police, there was the third attacker also, who did not get a chance to do his deed, because Nawaz was protected by security. He, however, was caught as well. The three attackers were identified as Munawwar, Sajid and Abdul Ghafoor, who were taken to the Qila Gujjar Singh Police Station. However, due to the rage among the PML-N supporters against them and the probability of them being attacked, they were first shifted to the Garhi Shahu Police Station, and then to the Racecourse Police Station. In the evening, they were shifted to an unknown location.
Station House Officer (SHO) Garhi Shahu said that no case had been registered as it had not yet been decided what sections of the Pakistan Penal Code would be applicable in the FIR and the matter was still being deliberated upon.
Nawaz, however, after a brief breather, addressed the gathering. He lauded the services and uncompromising principled life of Mufti Muhammad Naeemi and said that his services as voice of sanity and religious enlightenment could never be forgotten.
Nawaz said the entire PML-N leadership was united on one-point agenda of serving people. He urged political and religious leadership to work jointly for serving the masses and making Pakistan strong. He stressed the need for promoting tolerance in society. He said he had been an old student of Jamia Naeemia, where he had learnt the Holy Quran.
Jamia Naeemia, he added, had played a pivotal role in delivering Islamic teachings to the masses. Nawaz Sharif expressed the hope that Ulema and Mashaikh would continue their struggle for sustaining peace and religious harmony in the country.
Nawaz also thanked Allama Raghib Naeemi for inviting him.
Meanwhile, Raghib Naeemi, while talking to The News, said that the part of the seminary where the ceremony was being held was not part of the mosque, therefore, the people were wearing shoes.
Meanwhile, the whole of the country, including politicians, clerics and veteran human rights activists, and Pakistanis living abroad, condemned the shoe-throwing incident on PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif and the recent string of attacks on PML-N leaders, calling for all political and religious parties to educate their supporters regarding the democratic ways of expressing dissent.
Police said the attacker, a former student of the seminary, was taken to the Services Hospital for treatment of the injuries caused by beating by the seminary staff and students after the incident.
Talking to Geo News, senior journalist Sohail Warraich, who was present at the event, said the attacker was chanting slogans in favour of a religious party which carried out a prolonged protest against the government in Islamabad last year for the ruling party's role in amending the Finality of Prophethood oath of lawmakers.
Talking to Geo News, Allama Raghib Naeemi, the head of the seminary, condemned the incident and said Islam teaches respect.
In a press conference later, he said that though democracy espouses difference of opinion, expressing differences this way was not acceptable.
“Our relations with the Sharif family cannot be curtailed through these acts,” he said, and termed the incident part of a conspiracy.
Allama Naeemi also called for strict legal punishment against the perpetrators of the attack.
Political leadership across the country including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPPP President Asif Zardari and several others condemned the shoe attack on Nawaz Sharif.
“This is against our moral values and I am glad that a PTI worker is not involved in this incident,” Imran Khan told the media in Faisalabad.
PPPP President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the incident and said that such incidents were against the democratic values.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned the incident and termed it an ugly trend threatening the respect and security of political leaders in Pakistan.
In a statement, the PPP chairman said his party was against the use of such disrespectful tactics against opponents since the very inception and would condemn in strong possible terms such incidents.
MQM-P leaders Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Faisal Subzwari and Farooq Sattar condemned the incident.
PML-N leader Khwaja Saad Rafiq said that the attack was carried out by those who were disturbed by the increasing popularity of the PML-N.
Punjab Minister for Law Rana Sanaullah said the attack was carried out by the rivals of the PML-N.
PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira said the culture of lack of tolerance should not be promoted.
Another PPP leader Ch Manzoor Ahmad said that tolerance should be taught to political workers adding such incidents could happen with any political leader if this trend was not checked.
Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq also denounced the incident and said that it was an unacceptable incident as Pakistani culture did not allow such intolerance.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also condemned the incident, calling the action 'extremely wrong.'
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, in an exclusive conversation with Geo News, strongly condemned the attack.
Head of Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM) Raja Nasir Abbas condemned the incident, saying these incidents of attacks in the form of ink and shoe throwing are unethical and cannot be accepted under any pretext.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan President Zawar (JUP-Z) chief Qadri Zawar Bahadur said that such incidents should not happen and cannot be encouraged. He, however, said that the government needs to check its direction regarding its solemn constitutional vow of protecting the essence of Islamic faith to avoid such public wrath.
Raghib Naeemi, the head of Jamia Naeemia, while condemning the act, termed it an individual act that reflects negative thoughts. Calling for an investigation into the matter, he said that Islam teaches respect, expressing differences this way is inappropriate. “Our relations with the Sharif family cannot be curtailed through such acts," he said, calling the incident part of a ‘conspiracy’.
Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the incident that took place with PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif at Jamia Naeemia and said this incident is shameful. He said that this trend is devastating for the country and the nation; however, it is rapturous that all politicians have condemned it. The chief minister said that it was our responsibility to move Pakistan forward in the form of a democratic and courteous society.
PTI central leader and MNA Shafqat Mahmood said that such acts could not be condoned under any circumstances. When asked that the PTI condemnation appears to be a conditional rather than an unconditional condemnation, he disagreed and said that the condemnation is unconditional, but the fact remains that the PML-N’s acts and policies have built up this rage among the people.
Lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir said that while this act is condemnable, simple condemnation is not what is merited.
South Asia Partnership Head Muhammad Tehseen said that even the slightest bit of passive justification of such acts is a dangerous stimulus that would open floodgates of violent attacks.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman tweeted the incident as ‘Absolutely condemnable!’ saying that the ink and shoe-throwing debase the political environment and degrade public values.
PPP MPA Sharmila Farooqi condemned the incident in a tweet by saying, “Physical abuse of politicians is highly condemnable! Disgusting trend of showing your anger on their policies in this manner. Political opponents laughing today will be the victims in future. Put your act together & denounce this in one united voice.”