Rizvi and Qadri were taken into "protective custody" by the state during a crackdown in November 2018 after the TLP announced it would observe deaders’ day on Nov 25, 2018. The arrests followed weeks after the TLP led three-day protests across the country against Aasia Bibi's acquittal.
The lawyers from both sides completed their arguments before the two-member bench headed by Justice Qasim Ali Khan today.
Court rejects Qadri's apology
The LHC had, in a May 7 hearing, directed Pir Afzal Qadri to submit a "detailed apology" for his controversial remarks after it found his initial public apology missing some key details.
When asked to define the "harsh words" Qadri had admitted to using in his apology, his lawyer Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry said that according to the court record, the former TLP leader had said that the three judges [who acquitted Aasia Bibi] were liable to be killed, that Prime Minister Imran Khan
... aka
Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer...
is a Zionist agent and that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Javed Qamar Bajwa's orders were not to be accepted.
Qadri, who had been booked under sedition and terrorism charges, had resigned from the TLP on May 1 citing health issues and, on the court's earlier directions, issued a public apology for his remarks.
"When the verdict of the Aasia Masih case was pronounced, my religious sentiments were hurt and I delivered a speech. I am very sorry for hurting the sentiments of the government, the judiciary and the chief of army staff," he had said.
At the outset, the court directed Qadri's lawyer to provide a straightforward written apology or accept a decision based on merit. Both judges raised questions over various aspects of the apology as it was shared with the court.
Justice Qasim, taking a critical view of the apology, said this way anyone could issue treasonous statements whenever they like, and then try to apologise by claiming that they were not thinking straight at the time.
"Why are they [such people] nurtured in laps, why are they not sent to psychiatric hospitals?" he asked.
Justice Asjad Javed Ghural pointed out that the written apology submitted in court used the word mansoob for the remarks issued by Qadri.
"Why did the written apology use the word 'attributed'?" he asked the lawyer, noting that it amounted to manipulation of language.
When Qadri's lawyer told the court that the education of many children had been impacted by the proceedings against his client, Justice Qasim wondered "what education must this man provide?"
"Such pirs should be hanged. They are ruining society," Justice Qasim remarked.