Govt denies glossing over protest actions

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has insisted that the government is not overlooking the actions of those who took part in protests and rioting over the Supreme Court acquittal of a woman in a blasphemy case.Asia Bibi – a woman who had been on death row since 2010 on blasphemy charges – was acquitted by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, triggering large street protests led by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party that paralysed Pakistan for three days, blocking roads and disrupting traffic.“No one should have this wrong impression that the state will ignore this behaviour,” he told reporters yesterday. “This is not a religious issue, it is an act of rebellion. No state can ignore rebellion.”The minister said those involved will be taken to task.“The Constitution and law of the state were insulted, this act is hard to forgive,” Chaudhry said.The case began in June 2009 when Bibi – a Christian – was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.Muslim women labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl, and reportedly a fight erupted.A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – a charge she has consistently denied.The government reached a deal on Friday to end the protests by agreeing to a travel ban preventing Bibi from leaving the country, and saying that it would not object to hardline movements appealing the verdict.Pakistan’s leading rights watchdog slammed Islamabad over the deal, saying that it was “appalled at the government’s failure to preserve the writ of the state and the sanctity of the rule of law”.“The TLP called openly for murder and mutiny, made a mockery of the rule of law and fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution, and appears to have assumed all the while that its methods were legitimate means of dissent,” the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a statement yesterday.The TLP had blocked major roads in Pakistan’s biggest cities for three days, calling for the murder of the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Bibi, and terming Prime Minister Imran Khan and the country’s army chief enemies of Islam.Police in Islamabad have arrested 12 people for violence and incitement and were seeking another 32 who had been identified.Reports had been “registered against more than 100 protesters who were involved in vandalism in Islamabad,” senior city official Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said on Twitter, adding that some 500 people had been accused over the unrest.Yesterday the authorities released pictures of those involved in the destruction and damage of property, and in causing harm during the three-day protests.The authorities also appealed to citizens to co-operate with the police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in identifying the rioters.“We will release more pictures of those involved in rioting and destroying public property in the coming days,” a statement from the interior ministry read. “The interior ministry received pictures from the special branch and other sources. We have asked the police and the FIA for their co-operation in identifying the perpetrators.”Meanwhile, Bibi’s husband has pleaded for international help to leave the country, saying that he feared for his family’s safety.The request by Ashiq Masih came a day after he criticised a government deal with hardline Islamists that left her in legal limbo, and called on authorities to protect her.Masih criticised the government deal, saying that it was “wrong”.“I request US President Donald Trump to help us to leave (the country), and I request the prime minister of the UK to do their level best to help us, to grant us freedom,” said Masih, in a video message, seen by AFP, also requesting help from the Canadian prime minister.The US embassy and the British and Canadian high commissions in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.On Saturday Masih told German Deutsche Welle radio that the court had been “very courageous” to acquit his wife.Her case caught the attention of then Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer who spoke in Bibi’s defence before being assassinated by his bodyguard in 2011.The TLP was founded out of a movement to support Taseer’s assassin, who was hanged in 2016.Federal minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti was also killed after calling for her release.Bibi’s lawyer fled Pakistan on Saturday, fearing for his life.“In the current scenario, it’s not possible for me to live in Pakistan,” Saiful Mulook, 62, told AFP before boarding a plane to Europe.