Pakistan’s blasphemy laws don’t protect religious harmony

Image

ISLAMABAD: December 2, 2012. (Shamim Masih))Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday, 20th November, 2012 dismissed blasphemy charges against Rimsha, a Christian teenager girl whose case prompted international outrage. Islamabad High Court found that the accusations against her were legally unsound, said Abdul Hameed Rana, one of the Rimsha’s lawyers. She is free woman now, like any other Pakistani citizen, he added. Now that her case is dismissed, it still remains unclear what kind of life she might be able to have, given the accusations she faced. Int’l NGOs in the United States, Italy, Canada and even UK have offered the teenager and her family a home outside Pakistan, a family representative said. She spoke to CNN in September from an undisclosed location after she was released on bail and said; “I’m scared, I’m afraid of anyone who might kill us”. She denied that she defiled the Quran. She said she was happy to be with her family, but feared for her life. National and international Christians welcome the court’s ruling made under considerable pressure and international scrutiny. There have been about 1,400 blasphemy cases since the laws were first enacted in 1986, according to Human Rights Watch. There are more than 15 cases of people on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan, and 52 people have been killed while facing trial for the charge, according to the organization. What would be the future of those people.

You May Also Like

Image

A Mother’s Cry: Bring My Son Home — Alleged Forced Conversion of Christian Minor Sagar Masih Raises Alarm in Sheikhupura. Report by Sardar Mushtaq Gill

SHEIKHUPURA, PAKISTAN: “Bring my son home.” Behind these words is the desperate cry of a Christian mother who says she has been separat

Image

An Open Letter to International Bible Societies, Bible Printing Agencies, Bible Distribution Ministries, Christian Missions, and Missionaries

Sardar Mushtaq Gill Calls for a New Standard in Bible Distribution: “A Bible Must Be Read, Not Simply Distributed”



LEAD Minis

Image

HRFP and TFD Hold Consultation to Strengthen Human Rights Documentation, Fact-Finding and Advocacy for the Marginalized!

Faisalabad: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), in collaboration with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), held a consultation meeting in Fai



"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