A strike called by Islamist parties paralyzed the major economic centers of Pakistan, Friday, December 31. AP / BK BangashUne strike called by a dozen Islamist parties paralyzed the major economic centers of Pakistan, Friday, December 31, including the capital Karachi where public transport is stopped.The markets were also closed and deserted roads around Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. This national mobilization had been declared on December 15, following the departure of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), the main Muslim party, the ruling coalition in protest against an amendment to abolish the death penalty if blasphemy.
This law has returned to the heart of the news last month when a woman, Christian, was sentenced to death for insulting Islam. Opponents believe that the text used to persecute religious minorities, to fuel extremism and to settle personal scores. Religious conservative groups had already called for their part in a national strike, hoping to block the amendment last week.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has yet publicly declared that his government had no intention to abolish or amend this law, and observers see more in this strike is a way for Islamists to press the authorities , shaken by yet another political crisis. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a regional party coalition member, has in fact repeatedly threatened to quit the ruling coalition, led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), whose president Asif Ali Zardari is derived.
His defection would deprive it of its parliamentary majority in the opposition would put the government at risk. About 3% of the 167 million Pakistanis are not Muslim and belong to minorities who complain of discrimination. Most death sentences were commuted to death and are subject to appeals not yet tried.
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