New Delhi: An image of the Peshawar elite police squad posing for a group selfie with Faisal alias Khalid, who last week killed American citizen Tahir Ahmad Naseem inside a courtroom, has been doing the rounds of social media.
The photograph has been shared by many, including some journalists and activists.
Naseem, arrested two years ago on charges of blasphemy, was standing trial in a Peshawar court.
Reacting to the image, Pakistani human rights activist Gulalai Ismail tweeted: “After lawyers taking selfies with the murderer of Tahir Ahmed Naseem, Peshawar police (Elite Force) also joined the bandwagon of making a celebrity out of a criminal involved in a first-degree murder over alleged blasphemy.”
After lawyers taking selfies with the murderer of Tahir Ahmed Naseem, Peshawar police (Elite Force) also joined the bandwagon of making a celebrity out of a criminal involved in a first-degree murder over alleged blasphemy. pic.twitter.com/i3iuvHWpNh
— Gulalai_Ismail (@Gulalai_Ismail) August 3, 2020
Calling Pakistan a state where “intolerance and violent religious extremism (is) seeped into each and every institution”, Ismail said, “Not a single collective action announced by any political party or any civil society org against the murder of Naseem. Instead, those who condemned the murder, are reassuring people of their Islamic faith. They know anything more than a tweet will get them killed too (sic).”
She had earlier posted a tweet condemning lawyers clicking selfies with Khalid.
قاتل کے ساتھ سیلفیاں لے کر یہ اپنے لئے جنت کا ٹکٹ بک کرنے کے چکر میں ہیں۔ کیا پرہیز گار اور تقی لوگ ایسے قاتلوں اور قاتلوں کے جیالوں کے ساتھ جنت شئیر کر رہے ہونگے؟؟ pic.twitter.com/LTYgictam3
— Gulalai_Ismail (@Gulalai_Ismail) August 3, 2020
A few other social media handles also shared the image of policemen with Khalid.
Peshawar elite police squad poses for a selfie with Faisal alias Khalid who last week killed Tahir Ahmad Naseem in a courtroom over blasphemy charges. pic.twitter.com/vpNw5fmj5C
— Ihsan Tipu Mehsud (@IhsanTipu) August 3, 2020
The world's first prisoner with whom police officers take pride in taking selfies۔ 👍#Ghazi_Faisal_khalid_khan pic.twitter.com/RQ8tSP8Dd8
— معـــــــاذ نــاز 🇵🇰 (@Patriotic_Naz) August 4, 2020
Naseem was gunned down by Khalid on 29 July. “He (Khalid) killed him (Naseem) for having committed blasphemy,” police officer Ahmed has been quoted as saying.
Naseem had been in Peshawar police’s custody since 2018 for having violated sections 295-A, 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistani Penal Code. He was facing charges for allegedly claiming to be a prophet — a violation of “Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws that can carry a death penalty“.
His murder was condemned by the US Commission on International Freedom. “Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are indefensible to begin with, but it is outrageous beyond belief that the Pakistani government was incapable of keeping an individual from being murdered within a court of law for his faith, and a US citizen, nonetheless,” said Commissioner Johnnie Moore.
Also read: Hashtags, WhatsApp & Instagram stories, podcasts — Pakistan’s social media plans for 5 August
At least 77 killed in Pakistan over blasphemy charges
Soon after the killing, thousands in Peshawar had taken to the streets in support of Khalid. The protesters called for the accused’s “immediate release from jail” and said Nassem was killed because the government was “too slow in prosecuting blasphemy cases”.
While no one has been executed for blasphemy by Pakistan so far, accusations have often led to violent attacks. There have been numerous reports of extrajudicial killings in the past few years.
At least 77 people — including “singers, teachers deemed to be advocating ‘un-Islamic’ practices, and members of the persecuted Ahmadi sect” — have been killed in Pakistan since 1990 for violating its blasphemy law, according to a report in Al Jazeera.
Also read: Former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja shares fake image, then gets trolled for foul language
Mr. Imran Khan is hardly bothered by such news. All he cares about is Kashmir and Hindutva/RSS.
Yes that is very true, I too expected that with Imram as PM we would see an era of pragmatism and revet to sanity from the religious nuts who run the country but he is worse and he is one of them.
Not very different from PM Modi is he Ms Swagata Singh ? Both PMs talk about everything but the multiple, serious crises affecting their own countries don’t they? And of course, the jingoists as well as the Hindutvaists and Islamists in both countries are useful idiots aren’t they Ms swagata Singh?
While Prayer of any kind, anytime and by anyone is self assuring, self analyzing and problem solving exercise, Religion is the ugly side of such practice. Religion teaches Bigotry, Hate and legalizes heinous crimes against humanity in the name of establishing good. The world must come to realize and ban Religions of all kinds and educate people by pointing to its sinister ways.
A sane voice amongst the rabble of religious nuts.
They want this in India too.
Suprise anyone?
It is a sincere request, please nobody supports this Congress stooge publication. These members of Lutyens media are hand in glove with anti-India forces, be it China, Or ISI.
I would like to see an article on this by Jyoti malhotra or fatima Khan.