Farhan Javed Masih with mom after his launch from jail on June 12, 2025. (Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information)
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Every day Worldwide–Morning Star Information) – A choose in Pakistan on Thursday (June 12) acquitted a Christian of blasphemy and terrorism fees after the prosecution didn’t show its case in opposition to him, his lawyer mentioned.
Lawyer Kashif Nemat mentioned that Sahiwal District and Classes Choose Zia Ullah Khan, who additionally presides over the anti-terrorism courtroom of Sahiwal Division, ordered the acquittal of 28-year-old Farhan Javed Masih, who was arrested and charged underneath blasphemy and terrorism fees by Sahiwal’s Ghala Mandi police on Jan. 26 for allegedly talking in opposition to Islam and the faith’s sacred figures.
Police had registered a case in opposition to Masih underneath sections 295-A and 298-A of the blasphemy statutes and Part 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on the grievance of an area Muslim villager, Muhammad Bilal Khan, Nemat mentioned.
“Masih, who developed psychological sickness on account of extreme use of artificial medicine, was entrapped within the false accusation by the complainant as a result of his youthful brother Jamal Khan was a pal of the Christian and so they used to do medicine collectively,” Nemat informed Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “Bilal Khan mainly needed to interrupt their friendship, which is why he concocted the blasphemy allegation in opposition to Masih.”
Part 295-A requires imprisonment of as much as 10 years for deliberate and malicious acts meant to outrage non secular emotions of any class by insulting its faith or non secular beliefs; 298-A, with a punishment of as much as 10 years in jail for disrespecting the wives and companions of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam; and Part 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which features a clause associated to inflicting civil commotion or unrest and is punishable by a minimal five-year jail time period.
The lawyer mentioned that on the onset of the trial, the choose had refused to confess the protection’s plea for conducting a psychological well being examination of Masih, Nemat mentioned, including that the choose additionally rejected their plea that the trial be moved from the anti-terrorism courtroom to an bizarre courtroom.
“In recent times, the police have began including sections associated to terrorism in blasphemy instances, which is sheer injustice with the accused,” he mentioned. “The classes courtroom has the unique jurisdiction to listen to blasphemy instances, however now many instances are being tried by anti-terrorism courts. We have now already submitted a evaluate petition within the Lahore Excessive Court docket to hunt its opinion on this essential challenge.”
Talking concerning the grounds for Masih’s acquittal, the lawyer mentioned the choose famous obtrusive contradictions within the statements of the complainant and prosecution witnesses.
“Furthermore, the First Info Report [FIR] in opposition to Masih was registered after an inordinate delay of over 5 hours after the alleged incident although the police station was solely eight kilometers away from the crime scene,” Nemat mentioned. “This confirmed that the complainant had registered the FIR with mala fide intention.”
Masih was launched from jail on Thursday night (June 12) however can not return to his village on account of safety considerations, Nemat mentioned.
“Masih claims that he has totally recovered from his drug dependancy in the course of the time he spent in jail and needs to start out life afresh,” Nemat informed Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “Sadly, he can’t return house and can now should seek for employment in one other district or metropolis.”
A member of the Affiliate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Sahiwal, Masih accomplished a four-year nursing course and labored at a hospital however was fired in 2023 on account of psychological sickness and drug dependancy.
Tehmina Arora, director of advocacy, Asia for ADF Worldwide, lauded Masih’s acquittal, saying they had been grateful that justice had been finished and the impoverished Christian was reunited together with his household.
“Nevertheless, the Pakistan authorities and superior judiciary should look into this development of mixing terrorism fees with blasphemy,” Arora informed Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “This mixture makes folks extra susceptible to baseless accusations.”
ADF Worldwide offered monetary and advocacy help to the authorized crew defending Masih.
Arora additionally harassed giving due consideration to the psychological well being of individuals accused of blasphemy.
“An individual affected by psychological dysfunction charged with blasphemy is extra susceptible to the abuse of the cost,” she mentioned.
The almost total spectrum of psychological issues may cause completely different psychological and behavioral contraventions that may fall foul of blasphemy legal guidelines in Pakistan, she mentioned.
“In blasphemy instances, intent have to be confirmed for conviction, however sadly many individuals in Pakistan, together with ladies, who fall into the class of madness are persevering with to be prosecuted as their psychological state shouldn’t be being thought of by the courts,” she added.
Underneath Pakistan’s blasphemy legal guidelines, these discovered responsible of insulting Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, might be sentenced to dying, although authorities have but to hold out a dying sentence for blasphemy.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in assaults on blasphemy suspects in recent times. Accusations or mere rumors of blasphemy spark rioting and rampage by Muslim mobs that may escalate into killings. A rights watchdog chronicled a report 344 new blasphemy instances in Pakistan in 2024, highlighting elevated abuse of the nation’s condemned blasphemy legal guidelines.
Of the 344 new blasphemy instances, 70 p.c of the accused had been Muslims, 6 p.c had been Christians, 9 p.c Hindus and 14 p.c Ahmadis, in line with the Annual Human Rights Observer report issued by Middle for Social Justice (CSJ).
“The blatant weaponization of blasphemy legal guidelines continued to allow persecution, non secular intolerance and widespread human rights violations,” the report said.
At the very least 2,793 individuals had been formally or informally accused of blasphemy in Pakistan over the previous 38 years, 1987 to 2024, in line with the report. The report said that at the least 104 individuals had been killed extra-judicially following blasphemy allegations between 1994 and 2024.
Pakistan, whose inhabitants is greater than 96 p.c Muslim, ranked eighth on Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Listing of probably the most tough locations to be a Christian.
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