UPDATE - Pakistan: Funeral prayers in absentia held for Morsi

UPDATES WITH MORE FUNERAL PRAYERS ACROSS PAKISTAN

By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Thousands massed to pay homage to Egypt’s first democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi at funeral prayers in absentia across Pakistan on Tuesday.

Politicians, religious leaders, civil society activists and citizens attended the gatherings organized by Jamat-e-Islami (JI) -- the country’s mainstream religious party -- in the capital Islamabad, the commercial capital Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderbadad, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Mardan, Swat, and other cities.

The JI Chief Senator Siraj-ul-Haq himself led the funeral prayer in absentia in the northwestern Peshawar city, which was attended by local politicians, civil society activists and common citizens in large numbers.

"[Egyptian President Abdel Fattah] al-Sisi is responsible for Morsi’s martyrdom. We demand that the international community and human rights organizations make him accountable for this murder," Haq told reporters after the funeral prayer.

“Morsi is a martyr and would be remembered in history forever,” he added.

Haq praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s timely reaction over Morsi’s martyrdom and demanded a similar reaction from his country's premier Imran Khan.

"I appreciate the Turkish president who has always stood with justice and openly condemned the brutal act of Sisi," Haq said.

“The people of Pakistan stand with Egypt’s democratic forces, which should remain peaceful and continue their peaceful struggle to get rid of Sisi’s dictatorship,” he added.

Morsi died Monday during a court appearance to face espionage charges.

A leading member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood group, he won the country’s first free presidential election in 2012.

After only one year in office, he was ousted and imprisoned in a bloody military coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt's then defense minister and incumbent president.

At the time of his death, Morsi faced a host of legal charges, which he along with numerous human rights groups and independent observers said were politically motivated.

In Islamabad, a funeral prayer -- led by Mian Mohammad Aslam, the deputy JI chief and a former parliamentarian, was held at the Aabpara Square.

Thousands gathered near mausoleum of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, to pay tribute and offer funeral prayer for Morsi.

Mohammad Hussein Mahanti, the JI chief for the southern Sindh province, led the prayer attended by people from all walks of life.

Addressing the participants, the JI Karachi chief hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman lambasted the Sisi regime for not allowing the burial of Morsi in his hometown, and the general public to attend his funeral prayers.

This, he observed, had exposed the moral standing of the Sisi regime, and the so-called democratic face of his western and regional supporters.

“Our message to Sisi and his benefactors is loud and clear. We will not bow to you and will continue our peaceful struggle”, he stressed.

In Lahore, a funeral prayer was held in Mansoora, the JI headquarters.

Liaquat Baloch, the deputy JI chief, Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, the party’s head for international affairs, paid rich tributes to Morsi for his vigor and commitment to Islam and democracy.

Baloch termed Morsi’s martyrdom a “premeditated murder” as the Sisi regime had deliberately deprived him of required medical treatment despite repeated calls from national and international human rights groups.