Lahore: The then-incumbent acting governor of Punjab and the speaker of the provincial assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, reaffirmed that those who used the cloak of freedom of speech and wrote defamatory things about state institutions had no justification. He speaks at the event organized by the Punjab Auqaf Department for the opening of the Sufi Festival and points the people to distinguish between politics and crimes.
Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan maintained that things like burning one’s house are not political rights. He was a critic of the utilization of state organs for parochial self-interests, noting that people will cheer when their side is using state organs and then condemn them when the other side uses the organs.
Speaking at the event, the Provincial Health Minister Imran Nazir said that those whose remorses are pure receive forgiveness. He defined all the actions that took place on May 9 as criminal ones, not as political actions, and stated that crime must have consequences. He also condemned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for their participation in the attack on Islamabad, which he said was shameful.
Local dignitaries who graced the ceremony were Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman; Mufti Ramzan Sialvi, Khateeb of Data Darbar; Rana Muhammad Arshad, Chief Whip, Punjab Assembly; and Tahir Raza Bukhari, Secretary, Auqaf Punjab. The light show accompanying recitation of what can only be described as soulful readings of mystic poets Kabeer and Bulleh Shah by qawals set a spellbinding mood.