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News / Nation & World

Thousands rally in Pakistan for blasphemy laws

The Columbian
Published: January 9, 2011, 12:00am

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators have marched in Pakistan’s largest city in opposition to any change to blasphemy laws and to praise the man charged with murdering the provincial governor who opposed the legislation.

The rally of up to 50,000 people in downtown Karachi on Sunday was one of the largest demonstrations of support for the laws that make insulting Islam a capital offense.

The march was organized before Punjab governor, Salman Taseer, was shot dead last week by a bodyguard who supports the laws.

Opposition politician Fazlur Rehman told the crowd that Taseer “was responsible for his own murder” because he had criticized the law.

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