Lawyer leader Yasin Azad on Wednesday demanded that the government pass a resolution against French President Emanuel Macron’s anti-Islam remarks and the republishing of blasphemous caricatures.
Azad, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, was speaking to the general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association at the City Courts.
He said the parliament summoned joint sessions on every other matter but did not call one on the issue that had created unrest in the Muslim world. He urged the government to cut diplomatic ties with France.
Referring to the Islamist separatism comments of the French president, Azad said that the United Nations charter condemned countries putting restrictions on the religious freedom of its people.
He said the boycott of French products should continue until Macron renders an apology and withdraws the blasphemous caricatures. He said that profaning a religion was not the freedom of expression but terrorism.
After the general body meeting, the lawyers took out a rally on MA Jinnah Road in which they burned an effigy of the French president in protest. They said the Muslims could not compromise on their stance on blasphemy, and demanded of all the Islamic countries to cut off ties with France.
SHCBA’s strike
The Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) observed a complete strike at the Sindh High Court against French President Emmanuel Macron’s uncalled-for and Islamophobic comments, resolving to take legal action against all French interests in Pakistan, including companies and products of France.
The lawyers at the SHC abstained from court proceedings and held a general body meeting to condemn the Islamophobic conduct of the president of the French Republic. The SHCBA said in its resolution that the honour of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the most sacred duty, and that lawyers will not tolerate any insult against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The SHCBA said that the freedom of speech does not mean freedom to insult or ridicule, and that no one in the entire world has even the faintest right to speak, write or draw against our holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The SHCBA also demanded severing ties with the French and deporting its ambassador from Pakistan. The lawyers association called upon social media platforms and websites to immediately remove and block all Islamophobic material from their sites and apps, otherwise they will be left with no other option but to take legal action against the companies behind them.
The lawyers body called upon the United Nations and members of the
Organisation of Islamic Conference as well as Amnesty International to play their role by letting better sense prevail, lest it be too late.