The suspect, who was thrashed by the party workers before being handed over to police, allegedly said that Asif's party had tried to change the finality of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in the Constitution which hurt his sentiments.
Asif was speaking at the PML-N workers' convention in Sialkot, his hometown (some 100km from Lahore), when a middle-aged man with long beard, who was standing close to him, threw ink on his face.
"I do not know this man. It appears my opponents had given him some money to throw ink at me but I pardon this man and will ask the police to release him," the minister said, adding this incident does not affect his politics.
"Such an incident adds sympathy for him," he said.
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Meanwhile, the Sialkot city police identified the ink thrower as Faiz Rasool.
He said since the minister is not interested in getting an FIR registered against Rasool, police will set him free after meeting all legal requirements.
Pakistan's Law Minister Zahid Hamid had to resign last November when hundreds of Tehreek-e-Labbaik supporters camped at Islamabad's Faizabad traffic interchange, forcing the PML-N government to take action against those in the federal cabinet responsible for attempting to change this clause from the Constitution.