Bowing To Pressure, Pakistan Government Says It Will Not Propose Change In Blasphemy Law

In the face of a call by Islamic political parties for a general strike today (see prior posting), Pakistan's Federal Minister for Labor and Religious Affairs told a press conference yesterday that the government would not amend Pakistan's blasphemy law.  Pakistan's Daily Times reports that Minister Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah asked that the strike call be cancelled after giving assurances Wednesday on the floor of the National Assembly that no proposal regarding the blasphemy law was being presented. Nevertheless, according to Dawn, the strike was being observed today in major cities around the country, with religious leaders saying assurances that no repeal is planned need to come from the President or Prime Minister. (Dawn).  Because of the strike, no public transportation was available in Karachi, and major markets and business centers were closed in a number of other cities.  Reuters says the strike has more to do with politics than religion, as the ruling Pakistan People's Party works to keep its coalition from breaking up. Meanwhile, civil society organizations are protesting against the blasphemy law and the judicial structures that enforce it. Protesters in Islamabad yesterday demanded that the government stand up to religious forces and repeal the law. They also called for the immediate release of Aasia Bibi, the high profile Christian defendant who has been sentenced to death for blasphemy. (See prior posting.)