Pakistan tensions high ahead of Qadri's funeral

[Anees]

AFP/Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Filed on March 1, 2016

Qadri, a police bodyguard to Salman Taseer, shot the liberal Punjab governor 28 times at an Islamabad market in 2011.
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Pakistan on alert as governor's assassin is hanged - Khaleej Times
Feb 29, 2016

Tens of thousands of supporters of a Pakistani man executed for gunning down a liberal governor gathered for his funeral Tuesday, sparking fears of violence, as schools closed and police cordoned off flashpoints.

Main junctions and sensitive buildings in the capital Islamabad and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi were guarded by thousands of police, who also lined the route taken by Mumtaz Qadri's funeral procession.

An AFP reporter at the Liaquat Bagh ground, where the prayers were being held, estimated around 50,000 men had turned out by the afternoon.

A few hundred were seen carrying sticks as they shouted slogans including "Qadri, your blood will bring the revolution" and "The punishment for a blasphemer is beheading".

A United Nations official said all its staff had been sent home from various locations in the capital due to security fears, including from the tightly guarded diplomatic enclave.

Qadri, a police bodyguard to Salman Taseer, shot the liberal Punjab governor 28 times at an Islamabad market in 2011.

He said he was angry at the politician's calls to reform the blasphemy law.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in the Islamic republic, and Qadri was hailed as a hero by many conservatives eager to drown out calls to soften the legislation.

Critics say the law - which carries the death penalty - is largely misused, with hundreds languishing in jails under false charges.

Those who carry out extra-judicial killings of alleged blasphemers largely escape punishment.

Analyst Amir Rana said the execution marked a key moment for Pakistan in its more than a decade-long fight against religious extremism.

"I think it is a very critical moment in the political history of Pakistan. It is the first time the political government has made such a decision.

"The resolve is on the rule of law and they will not allow the space for extremism in Pakistan."

But he warned there was potential for the move to backfire by making Qadri a martyr among his supporters and his execution a rallying cry.

Several supporters took turns to denounce and threaten the government prior to the funeral.

"The chief justice, the army chief and the president should fear the day when every single individual of the country will become Mumtaz Qadri and grab them on the streets of the country," said Khadim Hussain.

Muhammad Ghias said he had travelled from the northwestern town of Mansehra because he believed attending the funeral would send him to heaven.

Mourners travelled from distant cities, including Karachi and Lahore.

Pakistan's media meanwhile maintained a near-blackout for the second day running, a move that analysts said so far has helped limit the fallout from the execution.

Thousands protested in cities across Pakistan on Monday after authorities announced the hanging had taken place early that morning.

But with security stepped up at flashpoints across the country of some 200 million, most dispersed peacefully.

"We have manned all the main junctions close to the procession route and sensitive buildings," a police official in Islamabad told AFP earlier Tuesday, adding that up to 3,000 officers were on the streets.

Many schools and universities remained closed for the day after shutting early Monday.

A police official in Rawalpindi said similar numbers were deployed there, including hundreds brought in from other districts as well as paramilitary Rangers.

Liaquat Bagh, the park in Rawalpindi where the funeral ceremony will be held, is tinged with political significance: it is where Pakistani prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in 1951, and the site of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination in 2007.

Pakistan tensions high ahead of Qadri's funeral - Khaleej Times


Pakistan tensions high at Islamist assassin's funeral | Daily Mail Online

Social media takes lead amid unspoken ban on Qadri coverage - The Express Tribune

 

[CHD]

Already buried and sent to hell but he wont feel lonely as we are sending more of his comrades soon

 

[Moonlight]

@The Eagle I couldn't reply to your last comment in 'Pakistani Corner' thread. So yeah this thread is about the same topic so here is my similar reply. You are right actually----after seeing the situation yesterday and the protesters, comments, views of people regarding this matter. I was thinking the same. The timing of this decision is really bad. We are already dealing with some very serious matter and as you mentioned op Zarb e Azb is one of them. I fear this situation can lead to many different problems in country and I hope that won't happen. But now his funereal ceremony is even done. So before things get even worse, police, governments, and media got to play a very sensible role here to calm things down.

 

[Anees]

Tens of thousands gathered in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, hoping to glimpse or touch the ambulance carrying the body of Mumtaz Qadri.PHOTO:FAISAL MAHMOOD/REUTERS

Source: Pakistanis Throng for Funeral of Man Hanged for Killing Critic of Blasphemy Laws

Why did Pakistan keep hard-line mourners off air?
By M Ilyas KhanBBC News, Islamabad

• 2 hours ago
  
• From the sectionAsia

Image copyrightEPA
Image captionSupporters of Mumtaz Qadri protested at his execution but the protests were quieter than expected
When news of Mumtaz Qadri's execution hit the television screens on Monday morning, the Pakistani nation recoiled into long-familiar defensive mode.

Parents kept many children home from school, and some people stayed away from work. Across the country, Pakistanis were glued to their television sets in anticipation of riots on the streets by those who revered the former bodyguard who killed Punjab governor Salman Taseer for advocating blasphemy law reform.

But what protests there were were sporadic and not well attended. And though they burned tyres and beat up a couple of journalists, the protesters showed no inclination to target the security forces.

The mood of the crowds at Tuesday's funeral for Pakistan's most notorious death row prisoner was equally restrained. More importantly, news anchors of dozens of Pakistani television channels, who would normally be hysterical at such a development, seemed not to notice.

Instead, crime in Karachi and hints of a possible cancellation of an upcoming India-Pakistan cricket match dominated the headlines. So why the media silence when there was a golden chance to boost ratings?

"Obviously, they have been sent a piece of advice by an authority they can't ignore, and that authority is definitely not the political government," says Ayesha Siddiqa, a defence and political analyst.

Who is pulling the strings?
For most in Pakistan, the only authority that has been able to chastise a once-unbridled Pakistani media has been the military.

In an unprecedented move in April 2014, it was able to force one of the largest TV news channels, Geo, off air after it accused the ISI intelligence service of orchestrating an attack on one of its top journalists. The ban was "fronted" by the civilian-led media regulatory authority, Pemra, but observers saw the military pulling the strings behind the scenes.

On Monday, the day Mumtaz Qadri was hanged, Pemra held a meeting in which it threatened with closure TV channels that covered "events that glorified criminals". The message for Qadri's supporters was clear.

Image copyrightReuters
Image captionMumtaz Qadri (right) was arrested in 2011 and charged with the murder of Punjab governor Salman Taseer
But Pakistan's hard-line Islamists were not always like this.

In 2012, a conglomeration of religious forces styling itself as the Pakistan Defence Council (PDC) took the country by storm, holding big rallies in every corner of the country to sell a virulent anti-American and anti-Indian agenda.

In the words of Dawn newspaper's Cyril Almeida, the campaigners included "jihadists, sectarian warriors, orthodox mullahs, Islamic revivalists, all banding together… to defend Pakistan".

The PDC showed no restraint at its rallies and Pemra did nothing to enforce its so-called responsible journalism guidelines.

The military establishment was widely seen by analysts as having played a role in the PDC, for two reasons: to deflect American pressure for action against the Taliban, and to frustrate the then government's plans to extend preferential trading status to India.

Is the military apolitical?
In 2014, thousands of activists loyal to former cricketer Imran Khan and a firebrand cleric Tahirul Qadri occupied Islamabad's high-security Red Zone for months, paralysing the government.

On one occasion they broke into the offices of Pakistan Television and put its various channels off air for several minutes. The military refused to intervene, claiming it was an "apolitical" institution which supported democracy.

The protests were seen by many as having had a nod from elements in the security establishment, again for two reasons - forcing the newly inducted government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to back down from a treason case it lodged against former army chief Pervez Musharraf, and to frustrate its aspirations to normalise relations with India, which had been one of Mr Sharif's main election slogans.

How Punjab governor's killer became a hero

What are Pakistan's blasphemy laws?

Salman Taseer: Death of a liberal

So what has changed now?
Analysts point out that with Nato's planned drawdown in Afghanistan, the Pakistani military is reordering its security policy to ensure its continued influence in Afghanistan and to prevent what many pro-establishment analysts describe as "Indian hegemony".

On the heels of this development has come the proposed $46bn economic corridor the Chinese are planning to build through Pakistan. This investment is seen by many as more than making up for the drying pipeline of American aid for a military that has been holding its own within a chronically cash-strapped economy.

In order to fully benefit from this investment, forces that can cause internal chaos must be quietened.

Many say this is what has been on display in Rawalpindi this week. Apart from paving the way for Chinese investment, this also sends out a message to the international community that Pakistan has the wherewithal to control militancy when it wants, says Ayesha Siddiqa.

But since there are still no signs a similar call has also been given to groups focused on India and Afghanistan, Pakistan is likely to continue to dabble in the tricky business of separating "good" militants from "bad".


Why did Pakistan keep hard-line mourners off air? - BBC News

 

[pak-marine]

In 2012, a conglomeration of religious forces styling itself as the Pakistan Defence Council (PDC) took the country by storm, holding big rallies in every corner of the country to sell a virulent anti-American and anti-Indian agenda.

In the words of Dawn newspaper's Cyril Almeida, the campaigners included "jihadists, sectarian warriors, orthodox mullahs, Islamic revivalists, all banding together… to defend Pakistan".

The PDC showed no restraint at its rallies and Pemra did nothing to enforce its so-called responsible journalism guidelines.

The military establishment was widely seen by analysts as having played a role in the PDC, for two reasons: to deflect American pressure for action against the Taliban, and to frustrate the then government's plans to extend preferential trading status to India.

Is the military apolitical?

In 2014, thousands of activists loyal to former cricketer Imran Khan and a firebrand cleric Tahirul Qadri occupied Islamabad's high-security Red Zone for months, paralysing the government.

On one occasion they broke into the offices of Pakistan Television and put its various channels off air for several minutes. The military refused to intervene, claiming it was an "apolitical" institution which supported democracy.

The protests were seen by many as having had a nod from elements in the security establishment, again for two reasons - forcing the newly inducted government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to back down from a treason case it lodged against former army chief Pervez Musharraf, and to frustrate its aspirations to normalise relations with India, which had been one of Mr Sharif's main election slogans.

How Punjab governor's killer became a hero

What are Pakistan's blasphemy laws?

Salman Taseer: Death of a liberal

So what has changed now?
Analysts point out that with Nato's planned drawdown in Afghanistan, the Pakistani military is reordering its security policy to ensure its continued influence in Afghanistan and to prevent what many pro-establishment analysts describe as "Indian hegemony".

On the heels of this development has come the proposed $46bn economic corridor the Chinese are planning to build through Pakistan. This investment is seen by many as more than making up for the drying pipeline of American aid for a military that has been holding its own within a chronically cash-strapped economy.

In order to fully benefit from this investment, forces that can cause internal chaos must be quietened.

Many say this is what has been on display in Rawalpindi this week. Apart from paving the way for Chinese investment, this also sends out a message to the international community that Pakistan has the wherewithal to control militancy when it wants, says Ayesha Siddiqa.

But since there are still no signs a similar call has also been given to groups focused on India and Afghanistan, Pakistan is likely to continue to dabble in the tricky business of separating "good" militants from "bad".


Why did Pakistan keep hard-line mourners off air? - BBC News

• 

Source: Pakistan tensions high ahead of Qadri's funeral

 

[Hell hound]

nothing is gonna happen this is Pakistan. people here tend to have short memory span of about 2 weeks.

 

[Paksanity]

@The Eagle I couldn't reply to your last comment in 'Pakistani Corner' thread. So yeah this thread is about the same topic so here is my similar reply. You are right actually----after seeing the situation yesterday and the protesters, comments, views of people regarding this matter. I was thinking the same. The timing of this decision is really bad. We are already dealing with some very serious matter and as you mentioned op Zarb e Azb is one of them. I fear this situation can lead to many different problems in country and I hope that won't happen. But now his funereal ceremony is even done. So before things get even worse, police, governments, and media got to play a very sensible role here to calm things down.

Timings were good actually. Message needs to be sent in clear terms that nobody is above the law. Space is shrinking for extremist sympathisers and momentum needs to be maintained to push them into extinction. This event will likely follow by a severe crackdown on helpers and instigators of violence. They will make hue and cry. They will try to frighten us. That's how they have always gotten away in the past. But if we persist and show perseverance, they will yield. Behind this ferocious face is a coward and scared human being. We can not afford to cede space to them. It cost us thousands of Pakistani lives to make these gains. No need to back down.

 

[Moonlight]

Timings were good actually. Message needs to be sent in clear terms that nobody is above the law. Space is shrinking for extremist sympathisers and momentum needs to be maintained to push them into extinction. This event will likely follow by a severe crackdown on helpers and instigators of violence. They will make hue and cry. They will try to frighten us. That's how they have always gotten away in the past. But if we persist and show perseverance, they will yield. Behind this ferocious face is a coward and scared human being. We can not afford to cede space to them. It cost us thousands of Pakistani lives to make these gains. No need to back down.

Agree with this message we aren't disagreeing on it. We are talking about bad timing for this decision.

 

[Paksanity]

Agree with this message we aren't disagreeing on it. We are talking about bad timing for this decision.

I think timings were right. First working day morning, 5 days before Friday prayers and just when we went into Shawal assault. Trick is to deliver next blow quickly to put them on defensive. I am just guessing here but next round of crackdown is imminent. This time a severe one.

 

[Pandora]

I was shocked by looking at picture then i saw all Topii and Pagri wallay Mullahs in there. Hope our Intelligence identified every single one of these lunatics to Assasinate the one by one so we can Rid of this extremist religious menace.

I asked this question at many place but it still remains unanswered. The Question is

What is the Quranic and Hadith based justification for killing in the name of prophet? What is the justification in the view of Quran and Hadith for murdering and unarmed person? Does Islam allow killing people merely based on Insult of Islam or Insult of Prophet?

No one has answered me these questions yet.

 

[Major Sam]

@The Eagle I couldn't reply to your last comment in 'Pakistani Corner' thread. So yeah this thread is about the same topic so here is my similar reply. You are right actually----after seeing the situation yesterday and the protesters, comments, views of people regarding this matter. I was thinking the same. The timing of this decision is really bad. We are already dealing with some very serious matter and as you mentioned op Zarb e Azb is one of them. I fear this situation can lead to many different problems in country and I hope that won't happen. But now his funereal ceremony is even done. So before things get even worse, police, governments, and media got to play a very sensible role here to calm things down.

This event will help agencies in exposing the real extremists.if they are smart enough.

 

[Moonlight]

This event will help agencies in exposing the real extremists.if they are smart enough.

If. This word is the reply to the comment.

 

[Hell hound]

If. This word is the reply to the comment.

oh come on give the credit where it due and have a little faith in our intelligence agencies.after decade of fighting war against terror i am sure these guys know what they are doing.
@Major Sam

 

[Moonlight]

oh come on give the credit where it due and have a little faith in our intelligence agencies.after decade of fighting war against terror i am sure these guys know what they are doing.
@Major Sam

I actually didn't criticize intelligence agencies, all I'm saying is yes IF they will take this matter seriously and will play smartly. Many other serious matters are yet to resolve. And of course I'm not doubting their credibilities.