Prosecutors in the Netherlands said on Wednesday that they were putting two citizens of Pakistan on trial for inciting the murder of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders. They requested legal assistance from Islamabad in this regard.
the murder of two Pakistanis for inciting MPs
Dutch to charge two Pakistanis with encouraging the assassination of MPs . Dutch to charge two Pakistanis with encouraging the assassination of MPs
Prosecutors in the Netherlands said on Wednesday that they were putting two citizens of Pakistan on trial for inciting the murder of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders. They requested legal assistance from Islamabad in this regard.
Judges condemned Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif to 12 years in prison in September of last year for encouraging people to kill Wilders after the radical legislator attempted to set up a competition for Prophet Mohammed drawings. The Public Prosecution Service said that it was bringing charges against two Pakistani nationals, a political leader, 29, and a religious leader, 55, “who have called upon their following to murder a Dutch member of Parliament.” It added in a statement, “This was done both during meetings and on social media through video and text messages.”
The political leader stated that given Latif’s conviction, it was “up to his own followers to carry out the task,” while the religious leader allegedly urged for the death of Wilders because his followers would be “rewarded in the afterlife.” On September 2, the two men are scheduled to go on trial at a highly guarded courtroom close to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. The Dutch authorities have requested legal support from Islamabad in order to examine the suspects and issue court summonses. Nevertheless, there isn’t a mutual legal aid deal with Pakistan, so it’s doubtful that the two men will ever go to court.
Due to privacy concerns, authorities withheld the identities of the suspects that Wilders revealed on X, the previous Twitter platform, after posting two names.
“I hope they will be extradited, convicted and jailed!” stated Wilders. The Dutch authorities have made fruitless attempts to speak with Latif over the matter and have even asked Pakistan for legal support, but to no effect.
Following demonstrations in Pakistan and receiving several death threats, Wilders called off the cartoon competition. Since 2004, he has been under constant governmental protection.
The contest’s planned staging in the Netherlands drew harsh criticism from politicians, the local media, and regular individuals who saw it as needlessly provoking tensions with Muslims. However, it seems that the demand to kill Wilders was heard, as a Pakistani man who had planned his assassination after the contest was canceled was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2019.
