Terrorism charges for Pakistan cleric who led protests against Asia Bibi, woman acquitted of blasphemy
- Firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi and his party held furious protests after the Supreme Court overturned the death penalty for Asia Bibi in October
- Sedition and terrorism charges made against Rizvi and other party leaders
Pakistan’s government said it was pressing terrorism and sedition charges against leaders of a hardline Islamist group that staged recent protests across the country.
The leader of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, and several senior figures were detained last month after they shut down major cities in protest at the acquittal of a Christian woman who had spent eight years on death row on blasphemy charges.
One of the TLP co-founders called for the killing of the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Asia Bibi, as well as the overthrow of the government and the powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Rizvi had been “charged under sections of sedition and terrorism” in a police station in the eastern city of Lahore. Three other senior TLP figures are facing the same charges.
“Today we have decided to take legal action against the TLP leadership,” Chaudhry told a press conference Saturday.
“All those who were directly involved in destroying property, who misbehaved with women, who set fire to buses, are being charged under laws of terrorism at different police stations.”