Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Fides Service) - There is concern in Pakistan after recent episodes with regard to a return to the anti blasphemy law. Several religious and human rights organisations including the Catholic Bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission, the national Peace commission, the Minority Alliance of all Pakistan raised the question of respect for the rule of law denouncing cases of false accusation against Christians and non.
Over the past few months various innocent people have been falsely accused and minority communities have suffered violence. For example recently the Karachi police arrested an elderly Muslim street sweeper Yousaf Masih accused of burning sheets of paper on which verses of the Koran were printed. Whereas the illiterate worker said he was simply burning newspapers and other papers as part of his job.
Folllowing this at Nowshera, not far from Peshawar, in North West Frontier Province, Hindus lost a local temple and many families were left homeless after a Muslim mob set fire to Lamba Vera Hindu temple and torched Christian and Hindu homes. Some time a Catholic Book Shop run by the Sisters of Saint Paul DSP at Sddar, near Karachi, was raided unexpectedly by police who confiscated books and other material. This happened following an article in the national Urdu daily Nawa-I-Waqt which said the nuns were selling books and CDs containing insults against the Prophet Mohammed. Concerned for this new wave of anti-minority violence, the Catholic Bishops of Pakistan intend to raise the problem with the government authorities.
In a message sent to Fides the Justice and Peace Commission calls on the government to adopt measures to stop the violence and reiterated its request to withdraw the blasphemy law. The Commission condemns acts of violence by Muslim extremists and calls for the immediate release of Mr Yousaf Masih since according to amendments approved in 2004, before an arrest can be made it is necessary to hold an investigation.
The Commission said that since 1988 circa 650 people have been falsely accused and arrested under the blasphemy law. Article 295/c Pakistan’s penal code, known as the “blasphemy law”, affirms that “anyone who insults the holy name of the Prophet in word, writing or deed or visible representations, direct or indirect insinuations” will be punished. The maximum sentence is life imprisonment. However the law is also used against political adversaries or settle arguments, by fundamentalist Muslims or for personal revenge: in numerous cases Christians have been the victims. The Catholic Church in Pakistan has said that the law is “unjust and discriminatory” calling for its abrogation. At present there are 80 Christians in prison on charges of blasphemy, a high number considering that Christians are a very small minority.
Pakistan has a population of 155 million 97% Muslim, Christians are 2.5% including 1.2 million Catholics.. (PA)(Agenzia Fides 6/7/2005 righe 28 parole 281)
