Mosques were attacked but no one lynched people in retaliation: Nisar

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said on Tuesday the reaction of Christians to the Youhanabad attacks was ‘extreme.’

“Mosques and Imambargahs were attacked in Quetta and Karachi but no one lynched people in retaliation,” the interior minister said, while addressing the Parliament.

Condemning the attacks on the churches in Lahore, Nisar said “Youhanabad incident was heart piercing.”

“We stand by the Christian community but will take strict action against all those who lynched two men and vandalised public property,” he added. Following the Taliban attacks on two churches in Youhanabad enraged residents beat and burned to death two men they suspected of involvement.

Protesters also began smashing up shops and attacking vehicles. “Mob rule is not allowed and you cannot block roads and beat up people.”

“Damaging public property is the worst kind of terrorism,” he added. “Of the 21 killed in the church attacks, 7 were Muslim,” he upheld, claiming Christians are not the only ones being prosecuted.

Govt will not halt ‘underage’ convict Shafqat Hussain’s execution

Nisar defended the Supreme Court’s decision to award death penalty to ‘underage’ convict Shafqat Hussain and said the government will not halt his execution.

“I got his execution delayed and launched an investigation into it but there is nothing more that can be done,” the interior minister said, while addressing the Parliament on Tuesday.

Responding to widespread criticism for political parties particularly the Pakistan Peoples Party and pressure from international human rights organisations, Nisar said the issue of Hussain being a juvenile when convicted has never been raised before.

“The issue of Shafqat Hussain’s execution should not be politicized,” he said.

Lashing out at PPP’s criticism on Shafqat’s execution, the interior minister said, “In 2012, during the government of Asif Ali Zardari, Shafqat’s mercy plea was rejected.”

“In the documents it is mentioned by the jail doctor that Shafqat is 25-years-old while jail authorities have written his age as 23-years-old,” Nisar added.

Shafqat Hussain, who is to be executed on March 19, was 14 years old when an anti-terrorism court sentenced him to death in 2004, for kidnapping and killing a seven-year-old boy. His lawyers and family have maintained that the boy is innocent and was forced to confess to the crime following a nine-day torture in police detention.

However, Nisar maintained that Shafqat’s mercy pleas were exhausted after investigation and ‘for a reason.’

“He was sentenced under the Anti Terrorism Act and the family of the seven-year-old boy he killed also have fundamental rights,” he added.

Earlier, senior PPP leader Sherry Rehman called for an urgent halt to the looming execution of Shafqat Hussain and asked that he be given a fair re-trial as had been promised by the government.

“The criminal justice system of our country does not allow the death penalty for juveniles, and rightly so,” she said.

The Human Rights Watch urged the government to immediately halt the execution of condemned prisoner Shafqat Hussain.