Farooq Naeem—AFP
Assassin’s supporters have gathered in capital to mourn the passage of 40 days since his execution—about two weeks early.
Police fired tear gas on Sunday at thousands of stone-throwing supporters of assassin Mumtaz Qadri, a month after he was hanged for killing Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer for alleged blasphemy.
Analysts described the Feb. 29 execution of Qadri as a “key moment” in Pakistan’s long battle against religious extremism, but it has also exposed deep religious divisions in the country of 200 million.
An estimated 25,000 supporters of the former police bodyguard gathered in Rawalpindi in the afternoon to offer prayers, before turning toward the heavily barricaded capital that was patrolled by hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers. The protesters were allegedly marking 40 days since Qadri’s death, despite him having been executed a mere 27 days earlier. Riot police carrying batons and shields fired tear gas to try to prevent them pushing closer to the city center.
Despite the police action, the rioters set fire to several private vehicles near Islamabad’s D-Chowk and set up camp in the capital’s notorious Red Zone, which houses Parliament. They specifically targeted MetroBus stations in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, smashing the initiative seen as an enduring legacy of the PMLN government. They also set fire to large containers set up along the route to prevent easy access to the rioters. The mob is demanding that the government negotiate with them, and are claiming they will stage a sit-in until they have been heard.
Military spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa posted on social media that Islamabad had summoned the Army “to control situation and secure Red Zone.”
The protest has been almost entirely ignored by the Pakistani media, which has increasingly become subject to government-ordered news blackouts designed to prevent unrest from spiraling out of control.
Qadri was working as a bodyguard for governor Taseer when he shot him 29 times in 2011 over the governor’s call to reform the blasphemy law, which critics say is frequently misused to oppress religious minorities.
On Saturday a group of angry men at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport assaulted a former pop star accused of insulting the youngest wife of Islam’s prophet, in the latest case of vigilante violence linked to blasphemy.
Ex-singer Junaid Jamshed, who is now a prominent Sunni evangelist, was leaving Islamabad airport on Saturday night when he was set upon by a group of around six men who were waiting to attack him at the exit. The incident was captured on mobile phone video and has ben widely viewed.
The men, some wearing Western clothes and others in traditional shalwar kameez, were seen throwing punches at the 51-year-old, who in addition to his preaching work runs a chain of high-end clothing boutiques. “You have committed blasphemy, hit him, hit him!” shouted one of the men. “We were looking for you,” said another. “He has disrespected the companions of [Islam’s] Prophet. He has blasphemed against the Prophet.”
Jamshed was forced to flee back into the airport. In a later Facebook posting, he said it was time for the nation to decide it “will not let these religious fanatics prevail amongst us.”
A local police official confirmed the incident and said the ex-singer had filed a complaint. Most Internet users condemned the violence on social media. Many pointed to the fact that police and security seemingly failed to intervene, despite the outbreak of violence at one of the country’s busiest airports.
A spokesman for the Airport Security Force was not available for comment despite repeated attempts.