From the Newspaper
(6 hours ago) Today
Details of the attacks have been provided in a letter sent by PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. – Photo by APP
ISLAMABAD: At least 45 attacks took place on places of worship and religious processions from March 2008 to Dec 31, 2010, leaving 779 people dead and over 2,000 injured. Those killed or injured included children, women and security personnel.
Details of the attacks have been provided in a letter sent by PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Its copies have been sent to Chief Justice of Pakistan and Speaker of the National Assembly. “It is your government’s responsibility to protect people wherever they are in Pakistan, which it clearly has failed to do.
This has reduced the religious freedom indicator of Pakistan worldwide and has meant that we are in violation of Islam’s high standards of protecting worship places of Islam and minorities as well as our Constitution’s clause on the same in the preamble and elsewhere,” the outspoken PML-Q leader said in the letter to the prime minister.
“Kindly ask your relevant ministers/ministries to report back to parliament on investigation reports for each of these attacks and brief parliament about what measures have been taken to provide security to religious places and gatherings,” she said.
The list includes attacks on the shrines of Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore, Baba Farid in Pakpattan, Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi and Rahman Baba in Peshawar, Muharram processions in Karachi and Peshawar and Friday congregations and Imambargahs and mosques across the country.
The letter also points out the vulnerability of places of worship of minorities which were badly damaged by angry mobs during the period.
Business Recorder
Worship places: 45 attacks took place from March 2008 to December 2010
RECORDER REPORT
January 12, 2011
ISLAMABAD (January 12, 2011) : As many as 45 incidents of attacks on worship places took place during the period from March 2008 to December 31, 2010 in the tenure of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led coalition government. According to a ‘white-paper’ released by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MNA Marvi Memon here on Tuesday revealed that dozens of innocent people were killed and many others injured during the attacks on the worship places and religious gatherings on various occasions in the country.
Marvi, through a letter addressed to Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, a copy which was also sent to Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, says “It is your government’s responsibility to protect the people of Pakistan in which it has clearly failed.” The incidents meant that we are in violation of the following:
(I) Islam’s high standards of protecting worship places of Islam and minorities.
(II) Our Constitution’s clause on the same in the preamble and elsewhere.
“Kindly ask your relevant ministers to report back to Parliament on the investigation reports for each one of these attacks and brief Parliament what measures have been taken to provide security to religious places and gatherings,” Marvi urged the Speaker National Assembly in her letter.
The Nation
January 12, 2011
MNA Marvi Memon on Tuesday issue a white paper about the attacks on worship places in the country from March 2008 to December
2010 and demanded of the Interior Ministry to brief the Parliament on these attacks.
In a separate letter to the Prime Minister and Speaker National Assembly, she has stated that it is the Governments’ responsibility to protect the people of Pakistan wherever they are in the country however government has clearly filed to do so. “This has reduced the religious freedom indicators of Pakistan worldwide and has meant the we are in violation of the Islam’s high standards of protecting worship places of Islam and minorities and our Constitution’s clause on the same in the preamble and elsewhere,” she added.
“Kindly ask your relevant ministers to report back to Parliament on the investigation reports for each one of these attacks and brief Parliament what measures have been taken to provide the security to religious places and gatherings,” In white paper she stated that during the tenure of PPP led government almost 45 attacks on the worship places and on the mourning procession of Muharram –ul-Haram had been recorded which claimed the lives of hundreds of Pakistanis. On December 16, 2010 a child was killed while 25 mourners, including eiht women and three children, sustained injuries when militants threw a hand grenade at a Muharram mourning procession at Tadgar Chowk in Peshawar while on December 12, three children were killed and seven other received injuries when militants fired mortar shells at an Imambargah in Talozan Tangi area of Kurram Agency.
In October 2010, four such incidents were recorded. A bomb explosion at eastern gate of the Baba Farid Shrine in Pakpattan District of Punjab on October 25, 2010 killed at least six persons, including three women and injuring several other, while on October 22 and IED detonated through a remote control, killed five persons and injured 22 other inside a mosque in Pishtakhara.
On October 14, unidentified militants blew up the shrine of Syed Muhammad Shah at Loy Shelman, near parang Dra in Landikotal of Khyber Agency in FATA and on October 7, 2010 double suicide bombing at the shrine of Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi killed another nine people and injured over 70,” she added.
Business Recorder
January 12, 2011
US ‘interference’ in Pakistan: PML-Q submits adjournment motion in National Assembly
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD (January 12, 2011) : Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Tuesday submitted an adjournment motion in National Assembly Secretariat, seeking debate of the House on the alleged US interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs and violation of sovereignty. The adjournment motion has been signed by five PML-Q members including Faisal Saleh Hayat, Marvi Memon, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Eng. Amir Muqam and Humayun Saifullah.
The members demanded that the House should discuss the adjournment motion by suspending its routine agenda. The following events have been made as base for the alleged US interference in Pakistan’s sovereignty:
1. US threatening our sovereignty by ordering all federal and provincial authorities to expedite setting up anti-terrorism security apparatus in Pakistan that would be linked to the US monitoring mechanism.
2. All decisions taken in working group of US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which met on October 20-21, 2010 in Washington, are affront to Pakistan’s sovereignty and national interests and should be discussed in the House.
3. US urged Pakistan to sign a security pact with India if it wanted a civilian nuclear deal with Washington. US Senator John Kerry conveyed this message to President Asif Ali Zardari in person.
4. US Ambassador Munter’s statement, “We appear to be intrusive because we care, we are the largest donor”.
5. Continued drone attacks by US.
6. Nato Choppers violating Pakistan’s sovereignty.
“We will not allow any country to assume colonial powers over Pakistan. Government needs to explain how it has bartered our sovereignty for the sole purpose of extending its rule,” said Marvi Memon, one of the movers of the adjournment motion. She said that stability of any government highly depends on the aspirations of the people of that country and also called upon the rulers to act according to the wishes of the people of Pakistan.
The Express Tribune
8 Jan 2011
Taseer’s assassination: Women MNAs lead condemnatory voices
Despite meeting twice after the incident, the National Assembly has yet to officially denounce it.
ISLAMABAD: Around a dozen female parliamentarians on Friday took the lead in the National Assembly to condemn Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s murder by a religiously-motivated assassin, pushing their reluctant male counterparts to speak out as well.
There has not yet been an official condemnation from the National Assembly on the assassination that took place on Tuesday, though the house has met twice since then.
While no official reason was given for the unwillingness in condemning the coldblooded murder of the constitutional head of the country’s most populous province, the religious controversy attached to the assassination seems to be the reason for the inertia.
Taseer’s murder is linked to his support for a Christian woman from a Punjab district, convicted for insulting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and calling a Zia-era legislation that deals with blasphemy, a ‘black law’.
His assassin Malik Mumtaz Qadri, one of the elite police commandos in his security detail, said in his confessional statement that he killed Taseer because he believed him to be a ‘blasphemer.’
Political parties and lawmakers are careful in their reaction to the murder and avoid talking about it publicly. But a small group of women members of the National Assembly, led by Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid’s Marvi Memon, said they were not afraid of the threats by the clergy and submitted a condemnation resolution.
It is still to be seen how political parties will respond to it when the house meets again next week to approve it.
Calling for the condemnation of the murder, the resolution, signed by two dozen parliamentarians, said Pakistani society must not be allowed to be divided into liberals and fundamentals. It also assailed the role of politicians and clerics for their ineptitude in dealing with the aftermath of the assassination.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2011.
Daily Times
8 Jan 2011
Taseer’s assassination dominates NA session
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: On the last day of 27th session of the National Assembly on Friday, lawmakers paid rich tributes to slain Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer.
Marvi Memon of the PML-Q submitted a resolution in the NA Secretariat on the brutal assassination of the governor. The document, signed by twenty-one lawmakers from four major political parties, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), with consensus, read that no one should be allowed to divide society on the lines of liberalism and fundamentalism.
According to the document available with Daily Times, all the lawmakers, who signed the document, strongly condemned the governor’s killing and added that no individual had the right to take law in his hands and commit an assassination.
Reading out the paper on floor of the House on behalf of other MPs, Marvi Memon said that Pakistani society must not be allowed to be divided between liberalists and fundamentalists. “We are all Pakistanis and believe in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which is based on the tenants of Islam,” she added.
In the document, the MPs also laid emphasis on protection of the rights of minorities as well as the promotion of equality, tolerance, pluralism and democracy in society.
The resolution was submitted by Memon and unanimously moved by twenty other MPs, including Bushra Gohar of ANP, Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali of PPP, ANP’s Jamila Gillani, Dr Azra Fazal of PPP, Shahnaz Sheikh from PML-N, Riaz Hussain Pirzada of PML-Q, Riaz Fatana of PMNL-Q and some others.
Earlier, MPs paid rich tributes to Taseer for his struggle to strengthen democracy and boldly speaking out to protect the rights of minorities in the country.
On her turn, PPP leader Fauzia Wahab said that the governor had been made immortal by the assassin and he would be remembered forever. The assassination of Taseer was the main topic of debate in the Friday’s session of the National Assembly and many parliamentarians actively spoke on the brutal murder of the Punjab governor.
Fauzia said that Taseer took a stand on an issue over which no one dared to speak. She added that Dr Aafia was called a daughter of the nation, “but what about Aasia”. She is also a daughter of this soil, she remarked.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Azra Fazal said that the warm welcome given by lawyers to the assassin of governor was condemnable. “The liberal voices cannot be muted by such brutal acts,” she observed.
Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti said that “fear of extremists could not seal our lips and we will not allow the confinement or killing of any innocent”.
He added that Pakistani minorities could not even think of saying anything against the holy Prophet (PBUH) or holy books. “The conspiracy of dividing Pakistan will be fought with national unity,” he concluded.
very nice
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