Dutch lawmaker cancels Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest
Amsterdam, Aug 31: Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders has cancelled a scheduled Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest here in November following widespread protest in Pakistan that raised concerns over security to the participants.
The far-right opposition Dutch lawmaker, who for years has lived under round-the-clock protection because of death threats sparked by his fierce anti-Islam rhetoric, cancelled the event following concerns of extreme threat after a 26-year-old Pakistani man was arrested who allegedly planned an attack on Wilders.
"To avoid the risk of victims of Islamic violence, I have decided not to let the cartoon contest go ahead," Geert Wilders said in a written statement, noting he did not want others endangered by the contest he had planned for November.
The contest was to have been held at the tightly guarded offices of his Party for Freedom in the Dutch parliament building.
"It's not just about me," Wilders, who has a history of inflammatory statements about Islam, said in the statement. Strong opponents of the event "see not only me, but the entire Netherlands as a target".
He followed up the statement later on Thursday with a tweet saying: "Islam showed its true face once again with death threats, fatwas and violence. However, the safety and security of my fellow countrymen comes first."
The Dutch government had been at pains to distance itself from the contest. Prime Minister Mark Rutte last week questioned Wilders' motive for organising the contest.
"His aim is not to have a debate about Islam. His aim is to be provocative," Rutte said.
The planned contest sparked a death threat this week from a 26-year-old man, reportedly a Pakistani, who was arrested Tuesday in The Hague.
Starting Wednesday, thousands of Islamists set off on a protest march towards Pakistan's capital Islamabad demanding Imran Khan's new government sever diplomatic ties with the Netherlands over the "blasphemous" competition.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik party (TLP) called off the protest after the competition was called off, a party official told Efe Friday.
Thousands of supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, who had started from the eastern city of Lahore in 300 buses and trucks and dozens of smaller vehicles on Wednesday, remained on the outskirts of the capital after Wilders cancelled the contest.
"A Tehreek-e-Labbaik delegation went to meet the government delegation led by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. After successful talks and the cancellation of the blasphemous cartoons, Tehreek-e-Labbaik ended its march," Zubair Ahmed, a spokesperson of the party told Efe.
"The blasphemous cartoon contest is cancelled and this is our moral victory," Qureshi said at a press conference after talks with TLP.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
