Amendment to blasphemy laws: plea to restrain government from moving bill in National Assembly

Chief Justice Lahore High Court Khawaja Muhammad Sharif here on Monday admitted a petition for regular hearing praying that the government should be restrained from moving bill in the national assembly to amend the blasphemy laws and issued notice to the federal government for December 23.
Chief Justice however turned down the petitioner's request to restraint the government from moving such bill before national assembly as the law officer informed that no bill has been introduced in the national assembly in this regard. The petitioner a local citizen Nasir Rasool submitted that the government wanted to introduce a bill in the national assembly to amend the blasphemy law. He said former minister Sheeri Rehman also said in her statement that a draft had been finalised to amend these laws and it would be tabled in the national assembly. He said Holy Quran and Sunnah lay down the sentence for blasphemy so it could not be changed.