The Express Tribune - December 16, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Abdul Quader Molla was innocent and charges against him were false,Radio Pakistanreported.
The PTI Chairman said that a lawyer of the international human rights organisation Reprieve, who was defending Molla, told him that the JI leader was innocent and had nothing to do with the charges against him.
He was speaking in the National Assembly on Monday.
The tragedy of fall of Dhaka gives us the lesson that issues should be handled democratically, not through military operations, Imran said.
The National Assembly also adopted a resolution on Monday expressing concern over the hanging of Molla, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh for his “loyalty to Pakistan”.
The resolution was moved by Sher Akbar Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami. The resolution also expresses condolences with Bangladesh and the family of Molla.
The house demanded that the Bangladesh government should not resurrect issues of 1971 and end all cases against the JI Bangladesh leadership in the spirit of understanding.
We witnessed the fall of Dhaka 42 years ago and we seem to have not learnt our lesson, said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
Speaking on a point of order, the interior minister said that people still react in a violent manner, do not respect others and despite tall claims about democracy our attitudes are still undemocratic.
He further added that we should carry out self analysis to determine what we achieved and lost since the fall of Dhaka.
Nisar said the government would support the JI resolution on the issue.
PPP leader Abdul Sattar Bachani said the execution of the JI leader was an internal matter of Bangladesh and Pakistan should not interfere in the internal matters of an independent and sovereign country.
MQM leader Abdul Waseem said we should learn from the tragedy of 1971 and ruminate how to avoid national tragedies in future.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) did not sign the resolution.
PTI leader Makhdom Javed Hashmi, Chief of Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leader Raza Hayat Hiraj and Maulana Ameer Zaman of Jamiat-e-Ulma-Islam-Fazl claimed Molla was executed because of his loyalty with Pakistan.
Resolution passed: Abdul Quader Molla was innocent, Imran Khan claims – The Express Tribune
