Government denies ignoring protest actions

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry insisted that the government should not neglect the actions of those who took part in the protests and riots sparked by the Supreme Court's acquittal. woman in a case of blasphemy.
Asia Bibi, a woman convicted of blasphemy since 2010, was acquitted on Wednesday by the Supreme Court. It unleashed street protests, led by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Party (TLP), which paralyzed Pakistan for three days, blocking roads and disrupting traffic.
"Nobody should have this false impression that the state will ignore this behavior," he told reporters yesterday. "This is not a religious problem, it is an act of rebellion. No state can ignore rebellion.
The minister said the people involved would be challenged.
"The Constitution and state law have been insulted, this act is hard to forgive," said Chaudhry.
The case began in June 2009 when Bibi – a Christian – was asked to fetch water while he was working in the fields.
Muslim women workers objected, saying that as non-Muslims, she should not touch the bowl of water and that a fight would have broken out.
A local imam then claimed that Bibi had insulted the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – a charge she has always denied.
The government reached an agreement Friday to end the protests by accepting a travel ban preventing Bibi from leaving the country and stating that he would not oppose extremist movements appealing the verdict.
Pakistan's chief human rights observer criticized Islamabad over the deal, saying it was "dismayed by the government's inability to preserve the state's mandate and the sanctity of the state." law".
"The TLP has openly called for assassination and mutiny, ridiculed the rule of law and the fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution, and seems to have always assumed that its methods constituted a legitimate means of dissent, "said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. said in a statement yesterday.
The TLP has blocked the main roads of Pakistan's main cities for three days, calling for the assassination of Supreme Court justices who acquitted Bibi, and appointing Prime Minister Imran Khan and the country's army chief as enemies of Islam.
Police in Islamabad arrested 12 people for violence and incitement to violence and searched for 32 others who had been identified.
Information was "recorded against more than 100 protesters involved in vandalism in Islamabad," Deputy High Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat, a senior city official, said on Twitter, adding that nearly 500 people had been accused of the unrest.
Yesterday, the authorities published photos of those involved in the destruction and damage to property, and in the damage done during the three-day protests.
The authorities also called on citizens to cooperate with the police and the Federal Agency for Investigation (FIA) to identify rioters.
"We will publish more photos of people involved in the riots and destruction of public property in the coming days," said a statement from the Interior Ministry. "The Ministry of the Interior has received photos of the special branch and other sources. We asked the police and the FIA ​​to cooperate to identify the perpetrators. "
In the meantime, Bibi's husband asked for international help to leave the country, saying that he feared for the safety of his family.
Ashiq Masih's request came one day after criticizing a government agreement with extremist Islamists that left her in limbo and called on the authorities to protect her.
Masih criticized the government agreement saying that he was "wrong".
"I ask the US President Donald Trump to help us leave (the country), and I ask the British Prime Minister to do his best to help us, to grant us freedom," said Masih, in a video message, seen AFP, also asking for help from the Canadian Prime Minister.
The US Embassy and the British and Canadian High Commissions in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.
On Saturday, Masih told German radio Deutsche Welle that the court had been "very brave" to acquit his wife.
His case drew the attention of Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab province at the time, who defended Bibi before being murdered by his bodyguard in 2011.
The TLP was born of a movement of support for Taseer's killer, who was hanged in 2016.
Federal Minority Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was also killed after demanding his release.
Bibi's lawyer fled Pakistan Saturday, fearing for his life.
"In the current scenario, it is impossible for me to live in Pakistan," Saiful Mulook, 62, told AFP before boarding a plane for Europe.