Abuse Of Blasphemy Laws Sparks Massive Outrage In Pakistan

International

oi-Sanjeev Nayak

The repeated use of blasphemy laws against people of religious minorities in Pakistan has been a matter of concern, and is drawing continuous criticism from various circles. A court in Bahawalpur sent shockwaves across the country after sentencing a 22-year-old Christian youth, Noman Masih, to death on blasphemy charges.

Masih’s lawyer Lazar Allah Rakha expressed utter disappointment by the conviction and said that the ruling came despite the prosecution failing to provide evidence of the blasphemy allegation against his client for four long years, according to an ANI report.

According to the complainant, Noman was accused of “blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad by carrying blasphemous images on his mobile,” where the FIR was registered against him under Section 295-C, which has a mandatory death sentence. Masih’s trial concluded in January but the court repeatedly postponed the verdict on various pretexts, Rakha said.

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Minority rights activist Joseph Jansen also condemned the decision calling it “disturbing” and raising doubts on the ‘fairness’ of the investigation. “The false accusations of blasphemy against religious minorities are often made to settle personal vendettas, property disputes, religious prejudice, or business rivalries, as seen in Mussarat Bibi’s case,” DND News quoted Jansen as saying.

Notably, the abuse of blasphemy laws (Sections 295 through 298 of PPC) carrying severe punishments has increased exponentially over the years in Pakistan. The more disturbing aspect is the fact that mere accusations of blasphemy become a justification for attacking any accuser. This provokes people in taking law into their own hands without any investigation and sets up the system of ‘mob justice’, which has been evidenced in several cases across the country.

Jansen further said that a fair trial is guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan, yet the accused persons have been denied a fair trial under blasphemy laws. “The complainants and witnesses involved in levelling false allegations against the accused often enjoy impunity,” he added.

Another human rights activist Ilyas Samuel expressed hope that the High Court would set aside the death sentence awarded by Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Hafeez Ur Rehman Khan and drop all charges against Masih.

Nadia Stephen, a women’s rights activist, observed that Masih’s case is not the first when the court handed over a death sentence to an individual from a religious minority community. The past trends show numerous cases where people were accused of blasphemy and ended up being given death sentences by trial and High Courts.

Human rights activist Ashiknaz Khokhar also called the state of affairs “unfortunate” and said that such practices have ruined many innocent lives, especially among minorities. “It is an unfortunate fact that has become a practice in trial courts in blasphemy cases to convict the accused, despite clear doubts about fair inquiries and lack of evidence. These laws have massively affected the marginalized Christian community of Pakistan and have ruined the lives of many innocents in the country, and still, no one is trying to amend them,” DND News quoted Khokhar as saying.

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National Minority Alliance of Pakistan chairperson Lala Robin Daniel too expressed concern over the matter stating that blasphemy laws have often been used to target religious minorities. “The blasphemy issue is a very sensitive matter in the country which has often been wrongly used to target religious minorities motivated by personal vendettas or religious hatred. The highly inflammatory accusations can potentially spark mob lynchings and vigilante justice,” he said.

The government needs to introduce a national action plan to counter its abuse of blasphemy laws in the name of religion. At least 57 cases of alleged blasphemy have been registered in Pakistan from January to May 2023, Eurasia Review reported, adding that the highest number of such cases, 28 in total, were reported in Punjab while Sindh followed with 16 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 8 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) with 5.

Two Christian teenagers, identified as Adil Baber and Simon Masih, were recently accused of blasphemy in Lahore, Pakistan. The allegations against them were levelled by a police constable, Zahid Sohail, soon after he had indulged in an altercation with the young accusers on May 28, the ANI report said.