05.05.2022, Moscow.
In Pakistan, the scandal that erupted after the Pakistani government delegation was insulted at the Masjid-e-Nabwi mosque during their visit to Saudi Arabia is gaining momentum.
Some Pakistani pilgrims at the mosque began chanting slogans of “chor” (Thieves!) as soon as they saw the prime minister.
The shouts of the angry crowd greeted the rest of the federal ministers in the delegation. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb was particularly attacked. It almost came to a brawl when one of the government members had his hair pulled.
Masjid-e-Nabwi is an iconic place for all practitioners of Islam. It is the second holiest site of Islam, which is located in Medina and is considered one of the largest mosques in the world. It is where the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad is located.
Pakistani pilgrims from Britain are suspected of misbehaving in the shrine. Some of the protesters were soon detained by Saudi Arabian police for breaking the rules and disrespecting the sanctity of the revered mosque, and some managed to fly safely out of the kingdom.
The first to react in Pakistan were party associates from the ruling coalition. In addition to words of condemnation, some of them blamed former Prime Minister Imran Khan for the incident. He was accused of fomenting “intolerance and discord” in society.
This was followed by condemnation of the inappropriate behavior at the holy site by Pakistani theologians and leaders of religious communities.
Imran Khan himself, after a 24-hour wait, said that the new government was arousing resentment in society, which led to this incident. Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad also spoke in the same vein.
“I foresee that wherever these five people [the prime minister’s delegation] go, they will be pelted with rotten eggs and tomatoes,” Rashid said in an interview.
The ruling coalition was quick to accuse Imran Khan and his party of masterminding a planned provocation in Saudi Arabia.
The rest of the story continued apace. The new Minister of the Interior promised to put Imran Khan in jail. Criminal cases were filed against the former prime minister and other leaders of the Pakistan Movement for Justice (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI) in several cities of Pakistan, which has an article for blasphemy in its penal code.
Among other things, a tarnished reputation can lead to blacklisting in politics – a ban on being elected and holding public office.
However, according to Pakistani journalists, the possibility of a criminal trial against Imran Khan has already sparked a wave of public discontent that is beginning to replace the outrage over the insult to the Masjid-e-Nabawi mosque.
More and more members of the ruling coalition are anxiously thinking about this, believing that the attempt to prosecute Imran Khan for blasphemy will be perceived as political persecution and an attempt at revenge. In the end it could undermine their parties’ positions.
Translated from https://t.me/shotday/265
