Capt Safdar’s religious bigotry ‘brainless’, ‘obtuse’

By
Rabia Malik
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1
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  • QAU students, VC slam anti-Ahmedi speech by ousted PM’s son-in-law, say they cherish Dr Abdus Salam
  • Asma Jahangir urges Nawaz Sharif to take notice of son-in-law’s bigotry
  • PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto says no place for such a mindset in society

LAHORE: Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) students, alumni and a large number of people have condemned the religiously bigoted speech of disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law, MNA captain (r) Muhammad Safdar in the National Assembly in which he demanded that the varsity’s Dr Abdus Salam Centre for Physics name be changed, the reason being the country’s only Nobel laureate’s Ahmedi faith.

On Tuesday, Capt Safdar termed the members of the Ahmedi faith group a “threat to the country’s sovereignty” and demanded a complete ban on their recruitment in the Pakistan Army, judiciary and other services.

Safdar referred to Dr Salam as “a controversial figure that has been termed an infidel in light of the Constitution”.

Students and alumni of the QAU in a post on Facebook termed Safdar’s demand “obtuse” and “brainless” and added that they cherish the Nobel laureate’s achievements and are honoured to host the centre at the QAU.

QAU Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Ashraf said that the renaming of the centre had been approved by Nawaz Sharif in December 2016.

“I feel every Pakistani should honour top intellectuals — regardless of their caste, colour and creed,” Dr Ashraf said. “Every Pakistani should be equally honoured for their achievements.”

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer and activist Asma Jahangir demanded Nawaz Sharif take notice of Capt Safdar’s tirade against Pakistan’s persecuted Ahmadiyya community and urged all the political parties to condemn the speech.

She said that Safdar’s hate speech was unacceptable and “highly discriminatory”.

“Such words are spoken by those who we consider to be extremists; such remarks being made by a member of the NA is shocking,” she said.

“I believe Capt Safdar tried to incite [hatred]. While speaking in the NA, one must maintain respect.”

Voicing her concern that such incidents are not even condemned by the civil society anymore, she said, “around the world, nobody can speak about their minority populations in such a manner”.

“If we do not raise our voice against this incident today, people like this (who make such remarks against minorities), will form a majority.”

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in a tweet on Wednesday, condemned the speech, but chose not to mention Safdar’s name.

“The bigotry, hatred and extremism on display in the National Assembly yesterday goes to show that the Nawaz league has been mainstreaming terror well before Milli Muslim League. No place for this mindset in our society,” Bilawal tweeted.

PUBLIC OUTBURST:

The general public also reacted strongly to the speech through various social media platforms and called for Safdar’s arrest.

One of the tweets read: “I hope Captain Safdar is arrested by NAB and they throw away the key. And I hope this disgusting damnable PMLN govt falls soon.”

One of the users criticised political parties for not condemning the speech and tweeted: “Non of our politicians condemned “Capt Safdar” on his hatred remarks against “Ahmadis”? why? are they think the same? #ANP #PPP #PTI #PkMAP.”

“What will you tell the parents of Lal Chand of the Pakistan Army — killed in Waziristan, Capt Safdar, MNA?” said another user.

SAFDAR’S DIATRIBE:

During his speech in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Safdar demanded a complete ban on the recruitment of Ahmedis in the army, judiciary and other services. He added that officials related to the minority group were a “threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty”; hence, they should be removed from those positions forthwith.

Sharif’s son-in-law did not stop there and went ahead with his outburst against the former PM, who had renamed QAU’s physics centre after Dr Abdus Salam, the only Pakistani Nobel laureate.

“I would request (Jamaat-e-Islami’s MNA) Sahibzada Tariqullah to move a resolution to rename the title of [QAU’s] department of physics, which was [recently] named after Dr Abdus Salam, an Ahmedi,” he remarked. Safdar asserted that an oath of Khatam-e-Nabuwwat should be made compulsory for those in the judiciary.

“No one from the Ahmediyya community should be allowed to sit in an institution which is meant to impart justice among the people at large,” he said.

“I will keep raising this issue every day in the parliament,” he vowed.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Without Returning money all this will not work Mr. Safdar. Can you justify, how did you pay expenses of your son?

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