Pakistan: A law misused | Yet another blasphemy case

A person proved to have committed blasphemy can be sentenced to death. Despite scores of cases of the type having been registered over the years, none of the accused has ever been executed which indicates that many have been involved wrongly. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Pakistan Today
By Pakistan Today | March 13, 2012

Pakistan is a country with an overwhelmingly Muslim majority where nobody can dare to speak against the Holy Prophet (PBUH). What is more, the extremely stringent anti-blasphemy laws act as a potent deterrent. There is enough evidence available by now underlining the misuse of these laws for various motives. This explains why even devout Muslims have at times been wrongly booked or targeted by misinformed mobs. A worker of a religious party was killed in Gujranwala during the Zia era. Not long ago a man in Dera Ghazi Khan widely known for his piety was implicated in the case by the members of a rival sect.

A blasphemy case has been registered against a young Christian woman, mother of a five month old child, in district Bahawalnagar. Her family claims that she was framed for refusing to renounce her faith on the insistence of some recently converted relatives. The case was registered on the plea of a local prayer leader who said two persons who were present on the occasion had reported the matter to him. One of the witnesses mentioned in the FIR has denied any knowledge of the incident which indicates that the case was registered without checking the facts.

A person proved to have committed blasphemy can be sentenced to death. Despite scores of cases of the type having been registered over the years, none of the accused has ever been executed which indicates that many have been involved wrongly. But anyone charged wrongfully is made to suffer indignities for years while languishing in jail; at times, those accused of blasphemy have been killed by the inmates without being given the opportunity to defend themselves. The misuse of the law has created a sense of insecurity in the minorities. There is a need on the part of the lawmakers to thoroughly review the law. The least that needs to be done immediately is to ensure checks that can put an end to the misuse of the law. Cases must not be registered without investigation by senior police officials. There should be a stringent law to punish those who falsely accuse anyone of blasphemy.


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