A federal lawmaker from the Awami National Party (ANP), who had offered head money for the maker of an anti-Islam movie, has announced a $200,000 bounty for the owner of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo that published blasphemous caricatures.
In 2012, MNA Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour announced a $100,000 reward for anyone who killed the filmmaker of ‘Innocence of Muslims, a sacrilegious movie that triggered condemnation from Muslims across the world.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Monday, Bilour also announced a $100,000 compensation for the families of those killed during the deadly attack on Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris last month. “I had already declared that I will not tolerate any attack on the sanctity of the Holy Prophet (pbuh),” said Bilour.
Earlier during the proceedings, the lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution condemning Friday’s suicide blast at Karbala-e-Moalla Imambargah in the Shikarpur district of Sindh, which claimed the lives of 60 people.
Minister moved the resolution for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada amid severe criticism by the lawmakers over the ‘insensitive attitude’ shown by the prime minister and his cabinet ministers after the tragedy.
The house denounced all acts of terrorism and urged the government to intensify its efforts in achieving the goals set in the National Action Plan to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the country.
Leader of the opposition, Syed Khurshid Shah, criticised the prime minister and his cabinet members for not visiting Shikarpur despite being present in Karachi on that day. “The whole cabinet had rushed to Peshawar after the APS attack but showed complete apathy to the Shikarpur tragedy.”
He also took strong exception to the ‘non-seriousness of ministers’ at the front row who were busy talking and laughing when he spoke.
“This is the level of seriousness that 60 lives perished in Shikarpur, and they are laughing here in the house,” Shah said, after which pin-drop silence enveloped the treasury benches during the remaining part of his speech.
