Hindu lawmakers walked out of parliament in Pak

Islamabad, Mar 17: The Hindu lawmakers in Pakistan walked out of Parliament in protest against the remarks made by a top judge that Hindus could be financing terrorist attacks in the country.

The issue was raised in the National Assembly by Ramesh Lal, an MP from the ruling Pakistan People"s Party on Mar 16, saying that the remark by Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif has hurt the sentiments of four-million Pakistani Hindus.

On Monday, Mar 15, Justice Sharif during the hearing of a petition on barring the deportation of Afghan Taliban leaders had said that while 'Muslims and not Hindus are involved in terror acts in Pakistan', Hindus 'might be financers' of such attacks.

Calling the statement as uncalled for, Lal said that while the country which is suspected of sponsoring terror attacks should be named, it is totally unjustified to blame the Hindus who are as patriotic as the other Pakistanis.

Drawing President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's attention to worry caused to Hindus by the remarks, Lal appealed to Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, to take suo moto notice of the matter.

Despite some ministers and lawmakers best effort to assuage his feelings, Lal walked out of the House.

Other Hindu lawmakers and members of the Awami National Party too followed suit.

The incident is the the first protest in parliament against the judiciary.

OneIndia News