MPs seek harsh punishment for blasphemers

KABUL at the Bagram Airbase in central Parwan province.

To condemn the incident that sparked angry protests across the country, the lower house passed a resolution asking the government, the US and the international community to ensure such acts did not recur in the future.

On being shown the burnt copes of the holy book, the lawmakers started screaming “Allah –o-Akbar,” death to American and people who brought the Americans in.

The resolution suggested the creation of a joint commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and judicial departments to investigate the incident.

MPs Shukria Barakzai, Abdul Qayyum Sajjadi, Robaba Parwani and Abdul Sattar Khawasi were named as members of the proposed commission. “Insult to the sacred book in any part of the world is unacceptable to us,” lawmakers said in their resolution.

Khawasi burst into tears, saying they could not be silence on the sacrilege. He demanded harsh punishment for the criminals. “I repeatedly say death to America and people who allowed them in.”

Another MP, Fauzia Kofi, accused foreign spy agencies of neighbouring countries of fuelling the unrest in Afghanistan had not sent terrorists to Afghanistan, the US would not have come here and such incidents would not have happened.”

MP Mohammad Iqbal Safi said the criminals be tried in Afghanistan or any other Islamic country. “Some foreign countries are behind the incident to provoke the sentiments of Afghans,” he remarked.

Afghanistan should not sign the proposed strategic cooperation agreement until the United States surrendered the perpetrators to the Afghan government, he suggested.

myn/ma/mud

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