ATTOCK: The head of the Awami Muslim League (AML), Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, and his nephew, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, were cleared of all charges of blasphemy brought against them for their participation in the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) event by a local court.
The judgement was now given by Judicial Magistrate Attock Mohammad Arif. At Masjid-e-Nabawi, both leaders were arrested for disorderly conduct (PBUH).
At the Attock’s New Airport Police Station, a blasphemy case was filed against the former interior minister.
The incidence
On April 28, 2022, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz invited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation to visit the country for three days.
During the visit, he was accompanied by four members of PM Shehbaz’s staff as well as Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Shahzain Bugti, Mohsin Dawar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, and Chaudhry Salik.
Meanwhile, when the premier and Shahzain Bugti arrived at the mosque, the demonstrators began chanting “chor, chor (thieves)” and harassed them while also yelling offensive phrases.
Shahzain Bugti, the leader of the Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP), had also been mistreated by the demonstrators, who had yanked his hair.
The protesters continued to film the entire episode with their mobile phones.
Following the incident, political and religious leaders and people belonging to different sections of the society expressed their outrage at the incident and strictly condemned the chanting of political slogans at the Masjid-e-Nabawi.
Nephew of Sheikh Rasheed is detained
As soon as Shafique arrived from Saudi Arabia at the Islamabad airport, he was detained in relation to the incident of slogan chanting.
After conducting Umrah, Rashid’s nephew had barely arrived in Pakistan when he was detained, which he confirmed.
“Despite the fact that none of us were in Saudi Arabia, lawsuits against us were still being filed. Following the filing of the cases, homes are being searched “Rashid said.
Shafiq had broadcast a video from the holy site that supported the vandalism the night after the Masjid-e-Nabawi tragedy.
Additionally, he made a suggestion that the party visiting Makkah’s Holy Kaaba would experience the same thing.
Leaders scheduled
Imran Khan, a former prime minister, was one of the approximately 150 persons who were arrested in connection with the investigation.
On the basis of a citizen’s complaint, Muhammad Naeem, the case was filed against the suspects at the Madina Town Police Station in Faisalabad.
Former information minister Fawad Chaudhry, former special adviser to the prime minister for political communication Dr. Shahbaz Gill, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri, MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafique, British-Pakistani businessman Aneel Mussarat, and others have been named in the case.
The complainant stated that the incident happened as a result of a premeditated conspiracy, citing the claims of Sheikh Rashid and Rashid Shafique.