Attention: His Excellency

General Pervez Musharraf,

President & Chief Executive,

Islamic Republic of Pakistan,

Islamabad, Pakistan

Your Excellency Mr. President,

I am not sure if this letter will receive your kind attention by-passing the bureaucratic red tape-ism.

I am horrified to learn that Dr. Younis Shaikh, a British trained Medical Doctor and a Physiologist, working as a teacher in a medical college in Islamabad, Pakistan has been sentenced to death allegedly for making a 'blasphemous remark' against Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) by an Additional Sessions Judge Mr. Safdar Hussain Malik of a lower court in Islamabad. Mr. President, I do not want to go to the question of the merit of the case or the court procedure in giving the verdict against an individual whose alleged 'blasphemous remark', I believe, will certainly not endanger Islam, nor belittle the Prophet in the slightest degree, - nor it will threaten the existence of your beloved state Pakistan. More over the law itself has been criticized home and abroad for its ill-defined area of application. It is generally believed that the fanatics and fundamentalists take advantage of the law to settle personal accounts against individuals who are said to be progressive, free thinkers, and liberal democrats. It is also alleged that Mullahs take full advantage of the law and use it against the religious minorities like Ahmedias, Christians etc. Your Excellency, I am an insignificant individual. Even to me it appears such a dangerous law(s) which permits to give capital punishment, must be applied with extreme caution and profound judgement free from any pressure (political, religious, fanatical...). Here lies the real danger. It is alleged that in almost all cases of blasphemy the lower courts could not work freely and without fear. Your Excellency, I cannot imagine, even in my dream that in 21^st century an innocent man like Dr Shaikh could be tried on such a flimsy ground and the court could announce a capital punishment.

I, may be an insignificant person who believes in individual freedom of expression, freethinking and liberal democracy, but the cause, for which I appeal to you to save the life of Dr. Shaikh, the innocent victim of the circumstances is not an insignificant issue. It is the humanity that is in danger. If the capital punishment is eventually executed, I am afraid Your Excellency, Pakistan may one day stand trial for acting against humanity, for violation of human rights and committing sin against human values. Let not the fanatics take upper hand in all Pakistani systems including its judicial system. I also urge upon you, Mr. President to do away with all kind of blasphemy laws now prevailing in Pakistan and drop all cases of blasphemy immediately.

With kind regards,

Sincerely yours,

Ajoy Roy,

A freethinker and a liberal democrat,

Professor of Physics (Retired),

Dhaka University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh