The blasphemy law has been in the news many times in the past. Actually, this law was made to ban the insult directed against any religion in 1927 during colonial rule. But the so-called "Father of Intolerance and Sectarianism", Zia-Ul-Haq amended it in 1986 to protect only Islam prophet during his dictatorship in Pakistan.
Pakistan, the only country in the world which was created on the basis of religion, at the time of its creation, announced that all citizens will be equal and every religious belief will be respected in the country. This announcement was proudly done by "Father of Pakistan", Mohammad Ali Jinnah but religious tolerance was buried after his demise.
The death of Salman Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti and the decisions of courts in thes cases relating to the insult of Islam has clarified the ideas in the minds of Pakistan's religious activists and it has shown that Pakistan is buckling under Intolerance and extremism from many years.
Since Pakistan is a politically unstable country without solid democratic roots, has a weak economic base as well as vulnerable to army rules, Sectarianism, fundamentalism and religious Intolerance are going to have the permanent place in country's social, religious and political polity.
Arpit Gupta is an engineering student at IIT Roorkee.
(image-gaurdian)