Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - The Christian Pervaiz Masih, a resident of the village of Usman Wala, in the district of Kasur in Punjab, was denounced and arrested for blasphemy, following a private dispute with a Muslim man, Haji Jamshed, regarding the sale of building material. "According to a cliché that is repeated, Muslims abuse the blasphemy law, falsely accusing a Christian after a private dispute that has nothing to do with religion", says Christian lawyer Aneeqa M. Anthony to Fides, head of the NGO "The Voice". In the village the incident has caused tension between Christians and Muslims, says Anthony to Fides.
Her team is trying to get to the bottom of the issue. As Zarina Bibi, Pervaiz Masih’s wife explained, the police burst in his house between 1 and 2 September and violently beat and arrested him. Pervaiz and Zarina have four children: Amir 9, Prem 5, Anmol 3 and Sanam 7 months old. "Pervaiz is completely innocent, we are sorry for him", said his wife.
The team of the NGO "The Voice" are taking care of the children and family security. "We will make every effort so that justice is done" said lawyer Anthony. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 03/09/2015)
