ISLAMABAD – Fueling the controversy whether Salmaan Taseer should be called a ‘shaheed’ or not, Senator Humayun Mandokhel said on the floor of the House on Monday that the slain governor had blasphemed and those who call him a martyr also commit blasphemy.
He said this while speaking on a motion that he had moved for breach of his privilege by a UNDP staffer for misquoting him in media on this issue. “A woman, Marvi Sirmad of the UNDP, invited me to the chelum of Salmaan Taseer through a text message calling the former governor a shaheed, to which I said that he was a blasphemer but the woman wrongly attributed certain remarks to me in a news report,” Mandokhel said, adding that the act of Marvi Sirmad had breached his privilege and the Standing Committee should take the matter up.
Opposing the privilege motion, Leader of the House Nayyar Bukhari and Law Minister Babar Awan said the matter was of personal nature and could not be referred to the Committee. Wasim Sajjad also opposed the motion and said according to the rules, a privilege motion could only be entertained if a parliamentarian’s official duty is obstructed.
However, Abdul Gaffoor Haidari and Sajid Mir said the matter should be referred to the committee. Mendokhel said that the referral was being opposed by those who had done nothing to safeguard the sanctity of prophet hood, to which Babar Awan reacted with harsh remarks.
