The federal government declared on Monday that anyone who use false propaganda to attack Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa will face severe consequences.
Vice Emir Pir Zaheerul Hasan Shah of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) is the subject of a lawsuit alleging that he incited violence against the chief justice.
On behalf of Station House Officer (SHO) Hammad Hussain, a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at the Qila Gujjar Singh police station in Lahore against the TLP leader and 1,500 party workers for threatening to kill the chief justice.
The issue concerns a speech delivered by Shah at a demonstration against the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Mubarak Sani case, which took place outside the Lahore Press Club.
At a news conference in Islamabad, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared, “The state will not allow anyone to issue a fatwa calling for someone’s murder.”
Accompanied by Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, the Minister of Defence mentioned that attempts are being made to use religion as a tool for bloodshed for vested political interests. This was in reference to the propaganda campaign launched against the Chief Justice after the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Mubarak Sani case.
“The chief justice has been the target of malicious propaganda for a considerable amount of time,” the federal minister stated.
Reiterating that the law will have its say, he added that an effort is being made to quiet a voice that has established a tradition of speaking truth to power.
Asif went on to say that as CJP Isa has been the victim of false charges for a long time, the state would finally take action, and accusations cannot be made without merit.
“Justice should be upheld, and the Constitution should be supreme in the nation. “[The state] will not submit to orders intended to advance political ambitions at the expense of individual interests,” he continued.
The defense minister claimed that if a decision is made in favor of someone, campaigns begin against CJP Isa. He insisted, “This trend should end.”
Asif emphasized that no one could issue a fatwa to kill someone on behalf of the state.
Planning Minister Iqbal, meanwhile, declared that no organization is permitted to issue fatwas to assassinate someone, calling the threats made against the CJP a “rebellion” against the nation’s Constitution.
