A bold judgement

The Supreme Court has given a clear-cut and bold decision, upholding the death penalty of Mumtaz Qadri. The federal government’s appeal against the removal of terrorism clauses against Qadri by the Islamabad High Court has also been accepted.
The verdict has provided much-needed clarity about the ambiguity being woven around the case by some sections of society. It clearly establishes that: criticism of blasphemy laws is not blasphemy; and that no individual has the right to take the law into his own hands and become judge and executioner at the same time. Under the present circumstances one hopes some more space is provided to revisit the blasphemy laws. A verbal backlash from Qadri’s supporters should also be expected. The debate is thus bound to carry on.
Akbar Jan Marwat
Islamabad