'We are not going to amend' blasphemy laws, Pakistani PM says

[JanjaWeed]

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's prime minister pledged on Monday the government will not change the country's controversial blasphemy laws.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's announcement comes amid growing pressure from hard-line religious groups and nearly two weeks after the assassination of a leading liberal politician who led a public campaign to change the laws.

"We are not going to amend them," Gilani told a gathering at a scheduled appearance in central Pakistan on Monday. "Anyone who says there will be changes is lying."

Last November, Salman Taseer, then governor of Punjab, said Pakistan's blasphemy laws were being misused to persecute religious minorities. He also called for the release of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who he claimed was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for violating the blasphemy laws.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and senior government officials indicated Bibi would be pardoned if the courts rejected her appeal. Another government official announced plans for a committee to consider changes to the blasphemy laws.

But the publicity surrounding the case and the ensuing debate over the laws sparked a fierce backlash by hard-line religious groups. Thousands protested in Pakistan's major cities and warned the government not to pardon Bibi or amend the laws. Some threatened governor Taseer or anyone else who dared tamper with the laws.

On January 4, a security guard sprayed Taseer with more than 20 bullets in broad daylight at an upscale Islamabad shopping plaza.

Pakistan's religious right praised the killer and called him a hero. In several demonstrations that followed, religious leaders demanded a government promise not to change the blasphemy laws.

'We are not going to amend' blasphemy laws, Pakistani PM says - CNN.com

Now.. this is really shocking to me. Is he saying there won't be any ammendments to the laws? Is the govt of pakistan is kneeling down before hardliners again??
I would love to hear the views of guys here at the forum!!

 

[Ignited Mind]

Toh bhugto

English: Good, then pay the price

 

[JanjaWeed]

Toh bhugto

English: Good, then pay the price

but the leaders won't be the one who will be paying the price. till the time they are ruling the country, they will be well protected by the state. once they are out of power they'l be back in their chateau, living high life.
it's the general public which will have to deal with these shortcomings of their leaders!!

 

[ajtr]

Realistically speaking nothing can be done about blasphemy law coz of popular support it has got among masses.Repealing blasphemy law in today's pakistan is akin to removal of slavery during Abraham lincon days.And todays Pakistan dont have strong leader of the stature of Abraham lincon,who can take risk with his life to repeal blasphmey law.Even mushy has backtracked on it now.

 

[JanjaWeed]

Realistically speaking nothing can be done about blasphemy law coz of popular support it has got among masses.Repealing blasphemy law in today's pakistan is akin to removal of slavery during Abraham lincon days.And todays Pakistan dont have strong leader of the stature of Abraham lincon,who can take risk with his life to repeal blasphmey law.Even mushy has backtracked on it now.

though i can understand repealing the law is absolute no go.. however here the PM is talking about not even ammending the same. i hear lot of leaders talking about bringing in ammendments to stop the misuse of the law.. by the looks of things, they are shying away from doing that either!! now that's the worrying part.

 

[DV RULES]

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's prime minister pledged on Monday the government will not change the country's controversial blasphemy laws.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's announcement comes amid growing pressure from hard-line religious groups and nearly two weeks after the assassination of a leading liberal politician who led a public campaign to change the laws.

"We are not going to amend them," Gilani told a gathering at a scheduled appearance in central Pakistan on Monday. "Anyone who says there will be changes is lying."

Last November, Salman Taseer, then governor of Punjab, said Pakistan's blasphemy laws were being misused to persecute religious minorities. He also called for the release of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who he claimed was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for violating the blasphemy laws.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and senior government officials indicated Bibi would be pardoned if the courts rejected her appeal. Another government official announced plans for a committee to consider changes to the blasphemy laws.

But the publicity surrounding the case and the ensuing debate over the laws sparked a fierce backlash by hard-line religious groups. Thousands protested in Pakistan's major cities and warned the government not to pardon Bibi or amend the laws. Some threatened governor Taseer or anyone else who dared tamper with the laws.

On January 4, a security guard sprayed Taseer with more than 20 bullets in broad daylight at an upscale Islamabad shopping plaza.

Pakistan's religious right praised the killer and called him a hero. In several demonstrations that followed, religious leaders demanded a government promise not to change the blasphemy laws.

'We are not going to amend' blasphemy laws, Pakistani PM says - CNN.com

Now.. this is really shocking to me. Is he saying there won't be any ammendments to the laws? Is the govt of pakistan is kneeling down before hardliners again??
I would love to hear the views of guys here at the forum!!

First: Democratic government represents decisions of their citizens.

Second: Just go through blasphemy threads and get an over views.

Third: I posted many times that there will be no change in this law and PM Pakistan already cleared it in last week.

Fourth: Government didn't kneel down but they cleared to people about the constitutional stability over this law. That's it.

Fifth: There is no hardliners in Pakistan.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/nation...urges-blasphemy-law-repeal-3.html#post1406982

 

[Karachiite]

Again the Mullahs have won. People say Pakistan isn't ruled by Mullahs but indirectly it is. And Malik Mumtaz Qadri is never going to get hanged either, watch what the mullahs would do if he did.

 

[JanjaWeed]

First: Democratic government represents decisions of their citizens.

ok.. agreed.. but do not forget that it's the same govt which brought in the bill in the first place to change the laws & did offer it's support to do the same publicly

Second: Just go through blasphemy threads and get an over views.

I have been through the threads here & by what i can see majority of the folks here have moderate views about the subject. there are some who wants this to be repealed completely as well.

Third: I posted many times that there will be no change in this law and PM Pakistan already cleared it in last week.

Hey that's your view.. i'm not here to question that. then again don't expect me to take it as the one of majority's.

Fourth: Government didn't kneel down but they cleared to people about the constitutional stability over this law. That's it..

if that's the case.. it's good for the govt & to it's subjects!

Fifth: There is no hardliners in Pakistan.

hey.. if that's the case.. it's good for you & to the people of pakistan. then again what do you call those people who condoned the killing of liberal leader & the one's who keeps propagating extremism to society?? i wouldn't call 'em softliners by any streach of imagination!

 

[FreekiN]

A sad day for sane Pakistani's.

 

[Ahmad]

Again the Mullahs have won. People say Pakistan isn't ruled by Mullahs but indirectly it is. And Malik Mumtaz Qadri is never going to get hanged either, watch what the mullahs would do if he did.

Yes the mullahs have won big time, if their celebrity, Mr. Qadri gets hanged, that will be another victory for them. Let them put him in jail for the rest of his life, by executing him, they will make him a marayar.

 

[greatsequence]

Yes the mullahs have won big time, if their celebrity, Mr. Qadri gets hanged, that will be another victory for them. Let them put him in jail for the rest of his life, by executing him, they will make him a marayar.

There is a good chance of qadri getting hanged and hes nobodys celebrity please dont confuse the law of the land with a single person.

 

[Imran Khan]

BACHA dar gya darhi waloon or Kalashnikov se ehhehheheeh

 

[roadrunner]

The US has blasphemy laws too.

It just doesn't use them.

Pakistan too can have blasphemy laws.

It just shouldn't use them.

 

[Sliver]

The US has blasphemy laws too.

It just doesn't use them.

Pakistan too can have blasphemy laws.

It just shouldn't use them.

A prosecution for blasphemy in the United States would fail as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . ."

enough said..

 

[roadrunner]

A prosecution for blasphemy in the United States would fail as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . ."

enough said..

That part of the Constitution has always been around when blasphemy cases were successfully tried in the US.

For that reason many States probably still have blasphemy laws, such as Massachusetts. It wouldn't surprise me if Bible Belt areas have some way of implementing blasphemy laws.