Basharat Khokhar under life threats on officially escorting blasphemy accused Rimsha Masih

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Islamabad: November 15, 2012. (PCP) Basharat Khokhar, a 37 years old Pakistani Christian who is employed in police department, came in limelight of national and international media on September 9, 2012, when he was captured in images of escorting blasphemy accused down syndrome minor girl Rimsha Masih from armed jail vehicle to Army helicopter in vicinity of Adiala Jail Rawalpindi. Rimsha Masih, a minor Christian girl with mental illness, resident of Mehrabad, a slum of capital city Islamabad, was arrested under section 295 B and C PPC of blasphemy law on accusation of burning pages of Quran (Holy Book of Muslims) on August 16, 2012. The arrest of minor disabled Christian girl under blasphemy law sparked anger and fear among Christians which forced more than 600 hundred Christian families of Meharabad to flee from their homes and to take refuge in nearby forests. The national and international electronic media coverage of arrest of Rimsha Masih and orders of enquiry in incident by President of Asif Ali Zardari attracted special focus on this particulars case. Mr. Basharat Khokhar was also seen during proceedings of case of Rimsha Masih in local courts of Islamabad like hundreds of other Christians who witnessed court hearings as gesture of sympathy with minor Christian girls in case she was feared death sentence. Mr. Basharat Masih also resident of Islamabad is living in capital city from decades with his wife, one son and two daughters, enjoying happy family life with secure job in law enforcement agency with ranks of a constable. In a tight security in Adiala jail and its neighborhood in Rawalpindi, where Rimsha Masih was waiting for her bail, on September 9, 2012. Mr. Basharat Khokhar as employee of police and being a Christian was deployed to provide adequate security to accused Christian girl to escort her to helicopter from armed vehicle in jail compound. The national and international media broadcasted live images of Basharat Khokhar covering Rimsha Masih and escorting her to helicopter which brought him in limelight around globe but created different security issues for him and his family. Mr. Basharat Khokhar started receiving life threats from unknown people in month of October 2012, on his cell phone, which he brought immediately in notice of his high officials who transferred him to a police station in suburbs of Islamabad to ensure his safety. The threats of killing Mr. Basharat Khokhar not stopped on which he and his family are living in fear and not moving outside home for minor shopping of daily grocery and sending their children to school. Talking to Pakistan Christian Post, Mr. Basharat Khokar said that he and his family are not feeling safe in Pakistan because Islamists believe that he knows where Rimsha Masih is hiding who is liable to kill of defiling pages of Holy Quran. Basharat Khokhar told PCP “Islamists threat that I am also liable to be killed on hiding Rimsha Masih, a blasphemer, while he is not aware of hiding place of her nor he is in any contact with her or her family”

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"Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" By Nazir S Bhatti

On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.

nazirbhattipcc@aol.com , pakistanchristianpost@yahoo.com