Ahmad Naeem Khan
The custodial death of a Christian accused of blasphemy in Pakistan last week has highlighted the harassment of religious minorities, who often face attacks from fanatics and apathy from authorities. Samuel Masih was attacked with a brick cutter in a hospital in the eastern city of Lahore. Ironically, the assailant, police constable Fariad Ali, had been deputed to guard Masih when he was sent from prison to hospital for tuberculosis treatment. Farid, who had told his colleagues about his hatred for Masih, has been arrested and charged with murder. Assures Senior Superintendent of Police for Investigation Chaudhry Shafqat Ahmad, "The prosecution will ask for the maximum sentence for the constable and the case will be sent to a court of law within two weeks."
Masih was imprisoned in August last year under section 295 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) that deals with blasphemy. Many argue that the law is discriminatory and is often misused by Pakistanis to settle personal scores. Charges of blasphemy are made against people from all faiths in Pakistan, where 96.28 percent of the 150 million population is Muslim, 1.59 percent is Christian, 1.6 percent Hindu and the remaining 0.22 percent a Muslim sect called Ahmadis. Charges Lahore Archbishop Lawrence J Saldanha, head of the NCJP, "The blasphemy laws have been widely used for personal grudges. Forced migrations, the murder of innocent people, litigation and destruction were the outcome of these laws." |