ICC Note:
As human rights activists held a vigil remembering the assassination of Salman Taseer, Islamic radicals held a counter rally celebrating the death of the man that stood against Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws. In the end, police arrested 110 radicals and activists were able to hold their vigils peacefully. Tensions over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws continues to rise in Lahore. Recently, a Christian pastor was accused of desecrating a Quran on flimsy evidence. Also, Shaan Taseer, son of Salman Taseer, was accused of blasphemy for a Facebook post he released calling for people to pray for individuals “victimized” by the blasphemy laws. 
01/07/2017 Pakistan (Asia News) – Lahore Police arrested a group of 110 imams yesterday whilst celebrating the murder of Salman Taseer.
The arrest of the Islamic clerics took place on the sixth anniversary of the death of the Governor of Punjab, who was “punished” because he had defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, and had spoken out against the “black law” on blasphemy.
Speaking to Asia News, some activists slammed a climate of religious fanaticism and the country’s deep contradictions.
“On the one hand,” said Rana Kashif Javed, “the Government of Pakistan loudly expressed its intention of implementing the National Action Plan and reiterated the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law; on the other, religious extremists take to the streets and block the capital of Punjab province, violating fundamental human rights.” According to the activist, “all this is a constant threat to our country.”
The imams were detained and arrested on Main Boulevard Gulberg, where they were staging a rally to celebrate the death of the murdered governor. Their goal was to block the city and prevent the memorial service.
Defying the threats by radicals, activists and ordinary Pakistanis gathered a few tens of kilometers away, in the Lalik Chowk area. Syeda Deep, the organizer of the vigil, said that the participants waved placards, chanted slogans and lit candles against terrorism and religious fundamentalism.
“They came here,” she said, “despite the death threats and reiterated that they would not be terrified by fear of the neo-fascist mullahs.”
“In Lahore, religious intolerance has reached the highest levels,” said Samson Salamat, the Christian chairman of the Rawadari Tehreek, a movement for tolerance. “Islamists tried to block the memorial. This is ridiculous considering that Mumtaz Qadri, the Salman Taseer’s self-confessed murderer, was found guilty by the law and hanged.”
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