Kathmandu, 17 Dec: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced a senior cleric leader of a banned Islamist political party to 35 years in prison on charges of inciting violence. The sentence is linked to an incident more than a year ago in which he publicly called for the killing of the country’s then Chief Justice, court officials and defense lawyers said on Tuesday.
Zahirul Hasan Shah, a leader of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, was arrested last year. He was accused of circulating a video on social media in which he announced a reward of 10 million Pakistani rupees (about USD 36,000) for anyone who would behead then Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Chief Justice Isa had faced fierce criticism from extremist religious groups last year after granting bail to a member of the minority Ahmadi community in a blasphemy-related case. Although the Ahmadi faith is considered a branch of Islam, Pakistan’s parliament officially declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974. Since then, Ahmadi homes and places of worship have frequently been targeted by Sunni extremist groups, who regard them as heretical.
According to defense lawyer Maqsood-ul-Haq and court officials, the anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore convicted Shah on Monday. The court ruled that his statements and public calls spread hatred in society and encouraged violence, warranting a severe sentence.
The verdict comes less than two months after the Pakistani government imposed a ban on the TLP party. The ban followed deadly clashes between party supporters and security forces during a rally held in support of Gaza.
Following those clashes, TLP’s chief leader Saad Rizvi has gone missing. Police said Rizvi managed to flee toward Pakistan-administered Kashmir during unrest that began in early October while he was leading a march from Lahore to Islamabad.
This series of events has once again brought intense debate in Pakistan over religious extremism, freedom of expression, and the security of minority communities.
