Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s Namaz-e-Janaza to be offered at Minar-e-Pakistan today

The Namaz-e-Janaza of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi, 54, who passed away Thursday evening after a prolonged illness in Lahore, will be held at Minar-e-Pakistan at 10am today, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Friday.

It was earlier announced that the funeral will be offered on Friday after Juma prayers but as a large number of people are expected to come from outside the country to attend the funeral, the Namaz-e-Janaza will now be held at Minar-e-Pakistan at 10am on Saturday (November 21).

Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s body is being kept at his house-cum-mosque right at the Centre between Scheme Morr and Chowk Yateem Khana on Multan Road. A large number of policemen were deployed on both sides of the mosque and the dual road is close for the public traffic, though Orange Line Metro Train service continued its operations.

A large number of Khadim Rizvi’s supporters are gathered outside the mosque.  

According to family members, Khadim Rizvi was shifted to Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore after his health deteriorated on Thursday evening. Doctors confirmed the death of Khadim Rizvi, saying he was brought to the hospital dead. He was suffering from fever and breathing problems. Later, Rizvi’s body was moved to his residence. 

CONDOLENCES KEEP POURING IN 
Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Azad Kashmir President Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Allama Tahir Ashrafi, Punjab Minister for Colonies Fayazul Hassan Chohan, PTI Karachi leadership, PML-N leader Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, MQM-P Rabata Committee and other political parties expressed grief over the demise of Allama Khadim Rizvi. They prayed for the departed soul. They said his religious services would be remembered.

On the passing of Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi my condolences go to his family. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2020

General Qamar Javed Bajwa,#COAS, expresses heartfelt condolence on the sad demise of Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi. “May Allah Almighty bless the departed soul in eternal peace, Ameen” COAS.

— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) November 19, 2020

PROFILE 
Khadim Hussain Rizvi was born in 1966 in the Pindigheb area of Attock District, Punjab. He started hafiz class in Jhelum. Further, he took admission in Jamia Nizamia, Lahore. He is a Hafiz-e-Quran and Sheikh-ul-Hadith. He delivered Friday sermons at Lahore's Pir Makki Masjid while in the Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department. He has been confined to a wheelchair since 2009 ever since an accident near Gujranwala as the driver of his vehicle fell asleep while driving from Rawalpindi to Lahore.

TEHREEK-E-LABBAIK PAKISTAN 
In 2015, he founded a political party called Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a political front for Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYP). TLP came into existence after the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri, who assassinated Salmaan Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, for opposing the blasphemy laws and subsequently rose to fame. During the assassination of the Governor, Rizvi was serving as an Auqaf official in the Punjab government. Rizvi had justified the assassination on the pretext that Taseer had termed the blasphemy law as a "black law". He was served warning notices to cease and desist from spreading his views in favour of blasphemy laws but his refusal to do so led to his removal from public service.

After his removal, Rizvi had more opportunity to preach his views. He travelled across the country to build support for Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with blasphemy committed against Holy Prophet (PBUH). He also spoke out for the release of Mumtaz Qadri.

FAIZABAD SIT-IN
On November 6, 2017, Rizvi organised a long march from Lahore to Islamabad to press for the resignation of the Law Minister Zahid Hamid belongs to PML(N) regarding an alleged ill-motive change and favour Ahmadi Muslims, in bill of "2017 Election of Pakistan". Rizvi soon began receiving support from public, other religious political parties and other segments of society, making way for mushroom growth of protests nationwide. The general public took the same demand of resignation of the Law Minister to the streets. Thereafter, total shutdown began, and the government ultimately responded with a forced shutdown of all news channels, followed by blocking social media networks, to contain the situation and the flow of information. This created mayhem and confusion in the cities of Karachi, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore along with some others in Punjab. 

ASIA BIBI PROTESTS
On 31 October 2018, after eight years of detention and conviction by all the lower courts, a Pakistani Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy, was found innocent in a Supreme Court verdict. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa ruled that the two women who made accusations against Asia Bibi "had no regard for the truth" and that the claim that she blasphemed Muhammad in public was a "concoction incarnate".

This prompted the TLP, under the leadership of Rizvi to initiate demonstrations in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan. Clashes with police were reported. 

The Red Zone in the capital, Islamabad, where the Supreme Court is located, was sealed off by the police.