Christian man is sentenced to death for blasphemy over Jaranwala riots while those who torched churches and homes walk free
A Punjab court issued a surreal verdict in connection with the brutal attack against a Christian neighbourhood in August 2023, handing down a death sentence against Ahsan Masih, a young man who, like thousands others, shared a post on a social media that was construed as “instigating” violence. By contrast, 135 people arrested for involvement in the incident have walked free. For Fr Khalid Rashid Asi, the sentence was issued under extremist pressure, but eventually “truth will win”.
Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – Almost a year after a wave of anti-Christian violence swept over Jaranwala, a death sentence for blasphemy is reopening the wound, with blame pinned on a young Christian man.
On 16 August 2023, 26 churches and hundreds of homes were torched in Jaranwala, Faisalabad district (Punjab), after a local Christian man was accused of desecrating pages of the Qur'an and writing a letter with blasphemous content. This triggered outrage among Muslims who attacked churches and Christian homes.
Ahsan Masih, a 22-year-old man from Sahiwal district, not Jaranawala, posted the letter that sparked the violence on his Tik Tok account. Amir Farooq, a Muslim who now serves as a police officer, downloaded it, and filed a complaint under Pakistan’s blasphemy rules.
Anti-Terrorism Court Special Judge (Sahiwal) Ziaullah Khan found Ahsan guilty of blasphemy, sentencing him to death, as well as 22 years in prison and a fine of one million rupees (US$ 3,590) for other offences.
This verdict is surreal for local sources since 135 people arrested a year ago by the Punjab police immediately after the attacks on the Christian community in Jaranwala have all been released on bail and only a few are expected to go to trial.
“At that time when Jaranwala incident took place, thousands of people, including Muslims and Christians, were sharing that letter with others, just passing the information on, and did not have any intention of committing blasphemy,” said Father Khalid Rashid Asi, director of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Diocese of Faisalabad, speaking to AsiaNews.
“I think Session Court judges are cowards and in fear; they therefore quickly announce their verdict in such cases,” he added.
“After the incident of Jaranwala, blasphemy cases were attached to the Anti-Terrorism Court and we had opposed that decision. In this particular case, Ahsan was not alone in sharing the post, but he and his family were harassed by police then and his family is still living in trauma and fear now.”
“Ahsan’s case will be a test case for us,” said the clergyman. “The Session Court should announce its verdict against all those who burnt the Christian colony and hurt [Christian] feelings”.
Instead, it seems that the court issued the “death sentence to please someone because they are under pressure. But, I strongly believe that truth will win and Ahsan will be freed by the High Court.”
“The government should review the blasphemy legislation because so many people are behind the bars on false accusations. The state should book those who frame others in such cases just for personal grudges and vendettas,” said Aksa Kanwal, a human rights activist.
“There are so many cases registered under this law but complainants can not provide strong evidence against the accused,” she added.
“In every lynching or burning incidents, the religious sentiments of Christians are also hurt because our churches and Bibles are burnt but they (the attackers] get bail and are freed by the courts” while “Only the poor and marginalised sections of society are punished,” which “clearly indicates that judges are in fear or biased.”
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16/09/2017 10:37
