Fawad Chaudhry backs Khawaja Asif’s stance on Islamabad temple

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday lent his support to the rival PML-N leader Khawaja Asif over his statement regarding construction of a Hindu temple in Islamabad.

In a tweet on Sunday evening, Chaudhry wrote: “Keeping political differences aside, Khawaja Asif said that Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees equal freedom to allthe religions, he is absolutely right.”

“Those who are issuing Fatwas on Khawaja Asif’s statement are projecting the thinking of Indian extremists and [Indian prime minister] Modi which needs to be rejected outright.”

His tweet came after a PTI leader, Qamar Riaz Sulehri, lodged an FIR case against Khawaja Asif under blasphemy law for his speech in the National Assembly.

Speaking on the floor of the house, Asif said that no religion is superior to the other and that Islam and all other religions of the world are equal.

“His words are against the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, and are tantamount to blasphemy against Islam,” Sulehri stated in his complaint to the Zafarwal police. “This is a grave crime according to the Shariah, in which he (Asif) has declared Muslims and infidels equal.”

The PTI leader quoted a few verses from the Holy Quran in his application too. Asif committed blasphemy in the light of those verses and hurt the sentiments of all Muslims, he said.

Riaz requested the police to register a case against the PML-N lawmaker for blaspheming against Islam and the Holy Quran.