Govt warned against victimising religious quarters

LAHORE
Speakers at a large rally on Saturday warned the government against victimising the religious quarters in the name of National Action Plan and crossing the limits set by notorious anti-Muslim personalities in their hatred of Islam, and threatened to launch countrywide agitation which would only end with the ouster of government.
They were addressing thousands of slogan-chanting and banner waving rallyists marching under the banner of Tahaffuz Namoos Risalat Mahaz (TNRM) from the Nasser Bagh to Masjid Shuhada to condemn the support shown by European states to the blasphemy of the Holy Prophet (SAW) committed by a French magazine and the coercive measures by the Punjab government against prayer leaders and mosques under the Amplifier Ordinance and National Action Plan.
Incidentally, the rally also marked the ninth anniversary of their historic protests by TNRM which turned violent upon police action and the subsequent rampage of dozens of shops and vehicles on The Mall.
The rallyists were led by TNRM president Sahabzada Raza-e-Mustafa, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) president Sahabzada Hamid Raza, and other noted leaders of different religious parties affiliated with Barelvi school of thought including Sunni Tehrik President Sarwat Ijaz Qadri, Jamia Naeemia principal Dr Raghib Naeemi, Idara Sirat Mustaqeem president Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali, Muhammad Ali Naqshbandi and others.
Addressing the charged protestors who were raising slogans against the Muslim rulers for keeping a criminal silence over the repeated blasphemy attempts of their Prophet (SAW ) by a cheap European press, Sahabzada Hamid Raza warned that now talks with the government would not be held since the rulers had ignored the repeated requests and resorted to such victimisation of peaceful prayer leaders and mosque heads that even tyrants like Ranjeet Singh and Gen Pervez Musharraf could not dare to take.
He said TNRM action committee would meet on Saturday night to chalk out a future line of action which would be made public on Sunday (Today). Sarwat Ijaz Qadri said reciting Durood and Salam was the inalienable right of every Muslim and no government could snatch the right under any pretext. He warned that Punjab government was trying to fail the National Action Plan by arresting and harassing prayer leaders and removing loudspeakers of mosques in the garb of the Amplifer Ordinance.
Dr Raghib Naeemi said the Punjab government was undermining the historic national consensus and solidarity which the nation witnessed in the wake of the Peshawar Army school killings by resorting to coercive measures.
He said if 40 European and Middle East rulers could join hands to hold a march with blasphemers in Paris, then why not 57 Muslim rulers could hold a million march in Madina to express their commitment with the honour of the Prophet (SAW).
Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali said religious leaders would hold a million conference at Minar-e-Pakistan soon to announce their firm commitment to protect the honour of the Prophet (SAW). He said if European blasphemers were given a firm shut-up call by the Muslim rulers then followers of the Prophet (SAW) would not have been on the road all through these years.
Other speakers expressed their resolve to offer every kind of sacrifice to protect the honour of the prophet (SAW) and the sanctity of Islam against the coercive measures by the Punjab government. They dispersed peacefully at the conclusion of the rally.