Thousands gather in Islamabad to urge government to end ‘sectarian hatred’

ISLAMABAD: Thousands of protesters gathered in the federal capital on Thursday, urging the government to take measures to put an end to sectarian hatred in Pakistan, including through effective legislation that would protect the honor of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Muttahida Sunni Council, a conglomerate of religious groups and parties, organized the rally in front of Parliament House in Islamabad, with many participants arriving from cities in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The Council also held two major protest rallies in Karachi and Peshawar against Shiite clerics who, its leaders said, had made derogatory remarks about the prophet’s companions during Muharram processions this year.
“We want the government to hold all those spreading sectarian hatred in the country accountable,” Qazi Abdul Rasheed, one of the organizers of the rally, told Arab News.
He said the government should legislate to protect the honor of the Prophet’s companions to ensure ‘sectarian harmony’ in the country.
“Our protests are completely peaceful as we strongly believe in sectarian harmony, but some elements have been trying to create chaos in the country through hate speech,” Rasheed added.
The Sunni Council is planning to hold rallies in Multan and Lahore later this month.
The entry of the protest rally into the federal capital resulted in massive traffic congestion, though the administration had deployed hundreds of police and security officers to maintain order.
“It is insane to allow protesters in Islamabad on a working day,” Muhammad Shakeel, a commuter who was stuck in traffic near the Faizabad interchange that connects Islamabad with neighboring Rawalpindi city, told Arab News.
He said the district administration should have asked the protesters to hold their rally in a designated place on the outskirts of the city instead of allowing them to reach the heart of Islamabad and disrupt public life.
Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, deputy-commissioner Islamabad, said the council was holding the protest rally under the banner of “Shan-e-Sahaba” and were therefore allowed entry to a designated space in front of Parliament House.
“The council is holding a protest rally in Islamabad as per law,” he told Arab News. “No person affiliated with any banned outfit is participating in the rally ...We will register criminal cases against them if they resort to hate speech or try to violate rules and regulations.”