ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday revoked a controversial part of its recent ruling on the murder of the minor. minority Ahmadisapparently in response to criticism from religious groups and clerics who threatened nationwide protests.
The ruling was quickly praised by Islamists who had previously called for the resignation of Pakistan’s Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa. his alleged support for the minority Ahmadi community.
The Pakistani parliament declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974. Since then, they have been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists, drawing condemnation from domestic and international human rights groups.
The controversy began in February when the court overturned the conviction of Mubarak Sani, a member of the Ahmadi community who was convicted by another court in 2021 of insulting Islam.
Initially, the Supreme Court ruling went unnoticed, but last month Zaheerul Islam, a deputy leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Labaik party, was arrested after calling for the assassination of the chief justice over his alleged support for Ahmadis.
Esa has been the target of criticism from clerics and religious groups since February, when he ordered Sani’s release and wrote a paragraph that Islamists saw as a violation of blasphemy laws.
During Thursday’s court hearing, Esa listened to arguments from clerics and said he would remove his controversial writings about Ahmadis.
