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Minorities in Pakistan Wait as Hard-Line Islamic Cleric Indicted

Niala Mohammad

   WASHINGTON - Minorities in Pakistan are anxiously awaiting the final
   court ruling against a hardline cleric who was indicted last month on
   charges of sedition and terrorism for inciting nationwide protests in
   Pakistan.

   An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan's Punjab province formally
   charged Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
   (TLP), an extremist political party, but has not yet given a date for
   its final ruling.

   Analysts predict that it will take some time, given the sensitivity of
   blasphemy laws in Pakistan.

   ATC was established in 1998 as a separate court, under former Prime
   Minister Nawaz Sharif's government to address crimes related to terror
   in a speedy manner.

   The latest indictment against Rizvi comes a year after Pakistan's
   Supreme Court's decision in 2018 in which Asia Bibi, a Christian woman
   accused of committing blasphemy, was acquitted of the charges. Rizvi's
   party took issue with the ruling, demanding that the court proceed with
   the initial charges and sentence Bibi to death for insulting the
   prophet of Islam.

   After spearheading large protests in the country that blocked several
   cities, the government last year took measures, cracked down on TLP's
   members, and arrested its leader, Rizvi after he openly urged his
   supporters to target the Supreme Court judges for their decision in
   Asia's case.

   "Either be loyal to the Prophet or leave Islam. There is no third way
   for true Muslims; the third way is only for hypocrites and infidels."
   Rizvi told his supporters at the time.

   Despite the Pakistani government's crackdown on the TLP members,
   religious minorities and experts are concerned about Rizvi's expanding
   ideological reach.

   Noman Taj, a Punjab-based journalist, told VOA that Rizvi maintains a
   large following that adheres to his hardline ideology.

   "There is a sizable faction of people that not only follow Allama
   Khadim Rizvi but who support and admire him for his outspokenness and
   knowledge about Islam," Taj told VOA.

   Taj added that Rizvi's public speaking skills further enable him to
   draw large crowds.

   "The language Rizvi uses and his style of delivering sermons appeals to
   the masses '¦ A big chunk of the rural population in Punjab agrees with
   his ideology and preaching's, especially in regards to Mumtaz Qadri,"
   Taj said.

   Mumtaz Qadri, a security guard for Salman Taseer, former governor of
   Punjab province, killed the very person he was tasked with protecting
   in 2011 because Taseer defended Asia Bibi and criticized Pakistan's
   controversial blasphemy laws.

   TLP party members, particularly Rizvi, openly praise Qadri for the
   assassination of Taseer and often refer to him in sermons as a "martyr"
   and true defender of Islam.

   Qadri was sentence to death and executed in 2016 on murder charges.

   Appeal to masses

   Christian minority groups in Pakistan say that Rizvi has the ability to
   "emotionalize people successfully" and the capacity to rally masses.

   "Even in the streets they have been able to mobilize people in good
   size and number all around the country which has created an atmosphere
   of fear and threat among the minorities," Samson Salamat, Chairman of
   Rwadari Tehreek, a social movement that works to counter religious
   extremism, told VOA.

   Harris Khalique of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan echos
   Salamat's concerns and charges that Rizvi caters to people's religious
   sentiments and emotions, which run high, especially when it comes to
   blasphemy cases.

   But Khalique thinks the case would be resolved through back door
   channels given the sensitivity of blasphemy laws in the country.

   "Mostly, in such cases, a back door settlement is negotiated in
   Pakistan to avoid any political ramifications," he said.

   Blasphemy

   Critics complain that Pakistan's blasphemy laws are used to persecute
   religious minorities and settle personal vendettas, prompting criticism
   from rights groups and activists that the law needs to be modified.

   "HRCP [Human Rights Commission Pakistan] has long maintained that
   blasphemy laws are used to settle personal and political vendettas."
   Khalique said.

   He added that change in Pakistan's blasphemy laws would likely not
   occur in the near future and the resistance to amend the law "not only
   comes from religious outfits like Rizvi's but some important mainstream
   political parties in Pakistan that have kept the issue alive for their
   political expediency."

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