Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari on Sunday said appeasement to “avoid bloodshed” sends a dangerous message to non-state actors and undermines the concept of democratic peaceful protest.
Sharing her thoughts on the three-day riots across the country against a Supreme Court verdict acquitting Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who had been on death row in a blasphemy case, and the resultant agreement between the government and the protesters, Mazari said history shows that appeasement never works.
“It is unfortunate we don’t study history – appeasement historically never works as Chamberlain’s Munich appeasement towards Nazis showed. Appeasement to avoid “bloodshed” in a war-weary Europe led to massive bloodshed & destruction in the form of WW II,” she posted in a series of tweets.
“Appeasement to “avoid bloodshed” sends a dangerous msg to non-state actors & undermines the very concept of democratic peaceful protest. The State has to enforce Rule of Law, Constitution & stand by state institutions esp when they are targeted. #IStandWithSupremeCourt.azari’s comments come in the wake of three-day long demonstrations that paralysed the country from October 31 to November 2, as religious parties protested against the Supreme Court’s judgment by blocking roads and disrupting traffic in major cities.
The protesters only ended their action Friday night after the government reached a deal to initiate legal proceedings to put Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List and said it would not object to a review appeal against the verdict, which was filed earlier in the Supreme Court.
The interior ministry has initiated criminal proceedings against the rioters, releasing initial pictures of the miscreants involved in vandalising property and appealing to citizens to cooperate with the police and the Federal Investigation Agency in identifying them.
On Saturday, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi and senior leader Afzal Qadri were among 500 people booked on charges of rioting and disrupting peace during the demonstrations.