Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - The Christian Pastor Zafar Bhatti, two years in prison on charges of blasphemy, was murdered in prison yesterday by a policeman in Rawalpindi. The policeman killed Bhatti, awaiting trial, and wounded another man, Muhammad Asghar, who was sentenced to death also on charges of blasphemy. Bhatti was on trial after an Islamic leader accused him in 2012 of offensive text messages sent to the prophet Muhammad’s mother. According to the family and his lawyers, someone tried to frame him by using his mobile. As confirmed to Fides Agency Cecil Shane Chaudhry, Executive Director of the National Commission "Justice and Peace" of the Pakistani Bishops (NCJP) in recent weeks Bhatti had been subjected to threats from prison guards and fellow prisoners. Bhatti was supposed to appear before a court of first instance on 26 September. As reported to Fides, lawyers of the NGO CLAAS ("Center for legal aid assistance and settlement"), who followed the case, were confident in his release.
Chaudhry condemned the "terrible deed" and tells Fides that "there are many other innocent people in jail awaiting trial and risk their lives because falsely accused of blasphemy: the government must protect their lives. We demand that the guilty are brought to justice".
According to the "Center for Research and Security Studies", think-tank based in Islamabad, in recent years, accusations of blasphemy have increased exponentially (one case in 2001, 80 in 2011). The law is increasingly being used for settling scores in private disputes that have nothing to do with religion. The accused are often at risk of being lynched, while lawyers and judges often refuse to have anything to do with such cases. For this reason, the people accused remain in prison for years. According to official figures, at least 48 people accused of blasphemy have been victims of extrajudicial killings. Among the recent victims, a professor of Islamic Studies in Karachi, Muhammad Shakil Auj, and the Muslim lawyer in Multan, Rashid Rehman.
The Bishop of Faisalabad, Joseph Ashad, interviewed by Fides, said: "The blasphemy law is being abused, the victims are the most vulnerable, Christians and Muslims. It it urgent to correct such law". Even the well-known Pakistani Muslim leader Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, complains and says: "there is a misuse of the blasphemy law and how Christians are persecuted due to the misuse of this law. As a member of the Islamic Council of Pakistan - he says – I will propose stricter punishments for those who falsely accuse another person of blasphemy to the government". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 26/09/2014)
