Pakistan: Punjab police says no to blasphemy case against Sherry Rehman

Rehman has been facing death threats from extremists since she called for reforms in the controversial blasphemy law to remove the mandatory death sentence.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: MSN News | India
By M. Zulqernain | MSN / PTI | February 15, 2011

Lahore, Feb 15 (PTI) Police in Pakistan''s central Punjab province today refused to register a case under the controversial blasphemy law against former minister Sherry Rehman, saying the matter does not fall within their jurisdiction.

The additional and sessions judge of Multan district, Mehr Nasir Hussain, had last week directed local police chief Dilawar Abbas to examine the legal status of an application seeking the registration of a blasphemy case against Rehman.

The application was filed by a man named Fahim Akhtar Gul, who contended that Rehman had committed blasphemy by speaking against the blasphemy law in a television talk show.

The application was subsequently sent to the legal wing of police.

"We have examined the application in which the petitioner has complained that Rehman committed blasphemy by speaking against the blasphemy law in a talk show a couple of months ago.


"We cannot take any legal view of it as the matter does not fall in our jurisdiction. Therefore, we have dropped it," Inspector Zaheeruddin Babar of the legal branch in Multan told PTI.

Babar said police had informed the court about its stance.

Rehman has been facing death threats from extremists since she called for reforms in the controversial blasphemy law to remove the mandatory death sentence.

She was recently forced to withdraw a private bill she had submitted in parliament to amend the law due to pressure from the top leadership of the PPP.

Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, another senior PPP leader, was gunned down last month by a police guard who was angered by the politician''s opposition to the blasphemy law.

Liberals and civil society groups have called for reforms in the blasphemy law, saying it is often used to persecute religious minorities and to settle personal and political scores.


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