| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| 6 charged with blasphemy against law |
| 2007-04-04 |
| Toba Tek Singh police have charged six Christians with blasphemy under Sections 295 A, C, 452, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code for allegedly disrupting an Eid Miladun Nabi procession and passing “derogatory remarks” against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), but this was done in violation of the law, as an inquiry was not held into the matter by an SP-level official, Daily Times learnt on Tuesday. A first information report was lodged against the six Christians on April 1 on a complaint by Abdul Ghafaar. The complaint alleged in the FIR that after disrupting an Eid Miladun Nabi procession, the Christians passed derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and then broke into his house. According to a Criminal Procedure Code amendment incorporated to prevent the misuse of the blasphemy law, a blasphemy case cannot be lodged under Section 295C until an official of rank SP investigates the incident, but the FIR has not been lodged in accordance with the procedure. Sources told Daily Times that there were rumours that the matter was a mere quarrel between children, but the complainant had exploited the situation. Toba Tek Singh DSP (Headquarters) Akhtar Saeed Randhawa told Daily Times that an investigation had not been launched yet. He admitted that the SP should have looked into the incident before police lodging the FIR, but the SP was not available, and he himself was working as the acting SP (investigation). |
| Posted by:Fred |