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Thursday March 28, 2024

State will enforce its writ: Imran

Addressing the nation on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Imran Khan appealed to the people to remain vigilant against inciters to keep the peaceful environment of the country intact as he warned that the government would fulfill its responsibility to ensure its writ.

By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
November 01, 2018


ISLAMABAD: Addressing the nation on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Imran Khan appealed to the people to remain vigilant against inciters to keep the peaceful environment of the country intact as he warned that the government would fulfill its responsibility to ensure its writ.

The prime minister said the Constitution of Pakistan is Islamic and the Supreme Court verdict in the Aasia Bibi case is in accordance with the Constitution. His address was solely focused on the Asia Bibi verdict, in which the Supreme Court acquitted her in a blasphemy case.

He addressed the nation through a video message and sharply criticised the language used by a "small segment" in reaction to the verdict. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) after the address of the prime minister and discussed important subjects with him.

The prime minister said in his address that the reaction to the Supreme Court decision by a small segment of the society is not appropriate. Pakistan is the only country in the world that was created in the name of Islam, after Madina. It means there will be no law against the teachings of Islam in the country. He said the language used against the Supreme Court judges, the army chief and other important personalities is intolerable.

The prime minister said Pakistan will become a great nation by following the golden principles of the state of Madina. The prime minister said, “I believe a person cannot be a Muslim unless he has deep love for the personality of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)." He said that Pakistan is the only country in the Islamic world that vociferously raised the issue of blasphemous caricatures in the Netherlands. Pakistan talked to the Dutch government, raised the issue at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) forum and also spoke at the United Nations against blasphemy. “Owing to our successful diplomacy, the European Court of Human Rights also said that blasphemy is not freedom of expression,” he said.

Imran Khan said those who are inciting the people against judges, army and state institutions are doing a disservice to the country. He said the country is already in the grip of financial crisis and the cabinet is working day and night to ameliorate things. He said the attitude of coming to streets against the verdicts of Supreme Court that are not according to their wishes is not right. The prime minister said protest will cause damage to the fragile national economy and the people.

He said the army has played a great role in eradicating the menace of terrorism and gave huge sacrifices in this struggle. The prime minister also asked the inciters not to mislead the people. He warned that the state will fulfill its responsibility of protecting the lives and properties of people and take strict action against violators. He also criticised the protests that broke out, and are still underway across the country in response to the verdict, saying people's livelihood was being harmed through the roadblocks and demonstrations. "The kind of language used today... and the narrative that there should be opposition against the judiciary is unacceptable. It is my belief that the principles on which Pakistan was founded, if they are not adhered to, Pakistan has no future."

"Our faith is incomplete if we don't adore our Prophet [SAW]," he reminded. "Which government can function when people say that kill the judges, do away with the army? We are already facing such tough economic hurdles. We have yet to take a day off... we are struggling continuously to uplift the people and to improve the conditions of the underprivileged."

Referring to the protesters who have disrupted routine life across the country, he said, "If the Supreme Court does not issue a verdict according to their wishes, will they come out on the roads? The people are to bear the brunt of this. The labourers who rely on daily wages, how will they survive?" He urged the nation not to allow themselves to be "provoked" by the agitators. "This is not a service being done for Islam. This is enmity taking place against the country," Khan observed.

In a stern warning to the extremist elements, the prime minister said, "I appeal to these elements... do not clash with the state. I appeal to you, don't harm this country in order to increase your vote bank. If you continue doing this, let me make it clear to you... the state will fulfill its duty and protect people's properties and lives. We will not allow any vandalism [or] blockage of traffic.

"I appeal to you; do not take the state to a point where it has no option but to take action," he concluded. The 51-year-old Christian woman was on the death row since November 2010 after she was convicted on charges of committing blasphemy during an argument with two Muslim women in Sheikhupura. Her case attained prominence after then Punjab governor Salman Taseer pleaded for a retrial of her case and was subsequently shot dead by one of his guards, Mumtaz Qadri, in January 2011. Salman Taseer earlier met the woman in prison and tried to console her. Asia challenged the verdict in October 2014; however, the LHC upheld the death sentence. The apex court had stayed the execution in July 2015.

Meanwhile, Vice President of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Senator Sherry Rehman welcomed the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s commitment in his address to enforce the writ of state saying that this commitment will be consistent.

“We welcome all attempts to enforce the writ of the state and I just hope this commitment will be consistent when vulnerable people are threatened by those that are armed and dangerous,” she said while reacting to the speech of Prime Minister Imran Khan on national media on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that the courts have given a landmark judgement in the Asia Bibi’s case despite threats.

“It is indeed remarkable and we stand with the Supreme Court. The state must not abrogate its responsibility and must not bow before extremist forces. Asia Bibi’s case is a clear example of how extremist forces misuse the name of Islam,” he said.