According to Pakistani journalist Aakar Patel Sharia laws are necessary and if you completely remove these laws, it is going to cause complete pandemonium. His contention is that the law ensures people live according to a legal discourse. In the absence of law, there is going to be no protection for the accused and anyone with a grudge will be free to take matters into his or her own hands. Presence of Sharia law ensures that people, instead of taking the matters into their own hands, follow a procedure. It allows the accused a chance to defend themselves, in the court of law which usually avoids the miscarriage of justice. The writer further noted that most of the cases are recorded in the province of Punjab. This province has a rich history of following the religious tenets very particularly. He further quoted an incident where a mogul emperor wanted to add a word to the Friday sermon that clergy delivered from the pulpit of every mosque. Everyone but the citizens and clergy of Lahore refused to deliver the sermon with any kind of alteration. After the standoff, the emperor had to back down and they continued to offer their prayers as they thought was decreed in their religious doctrine. He concluded that it is not possible for anyone to force a change on the people until they want the change.
This is a very important piece, which this daily published on September 3, 2012. Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi wrote it and its title was “Misuse of the Islamic Laws.”" It is important, because the writer of this piece belongs to the class of the society, who people view as the biggest proponents of the blasphemy law. In this piece, the writer regrets the arrest and subsequent events that followed the arrest of 11-year-old Rimsha Masih. This girl was suffering from Down syndrome and was accused of uttering blasphemous remarks about the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The writer feels embarrassed and abashed by the effort of another clergy to frame a sick, young an innocent girl under the false charges. He goes on to add that there is no justification in Islam for any such behavior and anyone who hurts any human being is doing a disservice to Islam and violates the edicts of this beautiful faith. He further adds that Islam is a religion of peace and equality. It does not believe in any kind of discrimination. That is why Allah, the most beneficent, ordered all believers to abstain from insulting or insinuating anything that may be construed as an insult to someone’s deity or any kind of religious feelings is strictly prohibited in the Holy Quran. He reiterates that every single citizen living in Pakistan is, and should be equal in front of law. Therefore, if it is found that accuser accused Rimsha wrongfully. Action should be taken and due process followed to punish the person who wrongfully accused the young girl as it is not only a crime, but is against the very teachings of Islam.
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