Pak Hindu youth's coffin labelled as 'kaafir'

Prem Chand, 25, a bright spark from the minority Hindu community, was a member of the National Youth Parliament and was heading to Islamabad from Karachi to attend the organisation's last session when the Airblue flight crashed into the Margalla Hills on July 28, killing all 152 people on board.

Ehsan Naveed Irfan, a youth parliamentarian who identified Prem Chand's body, said the coffin was first marked in black with the word "kaafir" and this was then highlighted in red.

After identifying Prem Chand's body, his friends covered this by writing: "We love you – from the youth parliament". Since the day after the crash members of youth parliament have been protesting against the marking on his coffin.

Muneeb Afzal, another member of the Youth Parliament, said a mutual friend had covered the word "kaafir" on Prem Chand's coffin at the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences before his cousin Nanak Das could see it.

"It was shocking. He could have been marked as Hindu or non-Muslim, but using the word 'kaafir' is the worst example of intolerance,"  Afzal said. Afzal said he was aware that the marking of Prem Chand's coffin was not an "an official act" or "some state sponsored standard procedure", yet it was "important for the authorities to investigate and punish those responsible, and set an example for future".

"Intolerance must not be tolerated. To tolerate it, or justify it, is to accept it," he said. "He (Prem Chand) called himself a social worker. No person has the right to decide who goes to heaven or hell," said another youth parliamentarian at a condolence meeting held for the six members who died in the crash.

Badeel Khan Janjua, who designed the T-shirt with the message 'I am Premchand, Label me kaafir', suggested that a "kaafir day" be celebrated in Pakistan.