Pak Hindu MPs stage walkout

ISLAMABAD: Chafing at a Lahore high court judge's comment that Hindus were financing terror attacks in that country, nine Hindu members of Pakistan's national assembly staged a walkout in protest on Wednesday.

"The sentiments of four million Pakistani Hindus are hurt by Justice Khwaja Sharif's uncalled for remarks," said Pakistan People's Party lawmaker Ramesh Lal. He was then joined by other Hindu lawmakers who then walked out. Members of the Awami National Party, too, joined in. Their protest was described as the first in Pakistan's national assembly against the judiciary.

Justice Sharif had made the remark while hearing a petition on barring the deportation of Afghan Taliban leaders on Monday.

The apparent trigger for the comment was a lawyer's observation that a US security firm was responsible for the blasts in Pakistan, including the recent ones in Lahore. Justice Sharif rebutted him saying, "Muslims, and not Hindus, are involved in terror acts in Pakistan. Hindus might be the financiers of such attacks."

As a member of ruling PPP, Lal called for intervention from president Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, saying Justice Sharif's questioning the patriotism of Pakistani Hindus had left the latter hurt and angry. He also asked supreme court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhary to take suo motu note of the "highly objectionable" remark. The protesters later returned to the assembly after some persuasion.

PPP leader and Labour Minister Khurshid Ahmed Shah said Justice Sharif's remarks were a "slip of the tongue", and added, "the judge had seemingly blamed India for financing the Taliban rather than Hindus." He said a clarification on the matter would be issued soon.

PML-N member Rashid Akbar Niwani said judges must dispense justice and not make off-the-cuff remarks geared for attracting publicity. "The judges should speak through their judgments and not otherwise," he said.

Munawar Talpur of the PPP expressed his regret to Hindus of Pakistan saying, "They are good Pakistanis. The judge's statement against Hindus is condemnable and indefensible."