Christian widow in Pakpattan victim of blasphemy laws
Mussarat Bibi, 46, a school employee, was accused of intentionally burning pages of the Qurʾān, despite being illiterate. A Muslim gardener was also accused in connection with the case. Last week, a Muslim religious leader was lynched by a mob. For human rights activists, all these cases show how the law is being abused.
Pakpattan (AsiaNews) – Minority human rights activists have expressed concern after blasphemy charges were laid against Mussarat Bibi, a Christian widow, and Muhammad Sarmad, a Muslim gardener, both of whom are illiterate.
The two are employed at a school in Pakpattan district charged with maintenance tasks. On 15 April they were asked to clear paper and other junk from a storeroom. After piling the waste material, they burnt it, but some passing students who saw them claimed pages of the Qurʾān were among the burnt paper.
Four days later, a local Muslim, Kashif Nadeem, filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Saddar police station in Arifwala, under Section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), one of the so-called blasphemy laws.
Mussarat Bibi, 46, has three daughters, one aged 14 lives with her, while the other two are married. Her husband, Barkat Masih, taught at the same school, and after his death five years ago, she was hired by the educational establishment.
Joseph Jansen, chairman of Voice for Justice, a minority rights advocacy group, expressed concern over the charge against an illiterate woman of intentionally burning pages of the Holy Qurʾān.
For Jansen, the Christian woman was lucky because the police arrived at the school in time and dispersed the mob that had gathered outside to lynch her. The complainant, Kashif Nadeem, tried his best to harm the Christian widow.
Initially, the police took Mussarat Bibi into custody, but during early questioning, they realised that the gardener, Muhammad Sarmad, was also involved. They eventually added his name to the First Information Report and took him too into custody.
For Jansen, blasphemy is used to violate people's rights. Taking advantage of their vulnerability, crimes against women and girls go unpunished, thus deterring them from seeking employment and achieving equality with men.
Mussarat is illiterate, thus innocent. She was just doing her job. This is clear evidence that the blasphemy law was abused.
Unfortunately, those responsible for the false accusation go unpunished, even though perjury is punished with five to seven years in prison under the Pakistan Penal Code.
If the latter were enforced, the attitude of people who make false accusations and public opinion would change.
Blasphemy laws have ruined the lives of many innocent people in the country and still no one has tried to change it, said human rights activist Ashiknaz Khokhar.
A women's rights activist, Nadia Stephen, said that Pakistan's blasphemy laws are incompatible with international human rights standards. Since it has been demonstrated that their abuse can result in mob violence and vigilante justice, the authorities should establish a nationwide action plan to stop its abuse.
While condemning the rise in blasphemy cases, Stephen stressed that life in prison for an elderly widow is constantly threatened. She also urged women's rights groups to raise the issue on appropriate platforms.
Meanwhile, a local Muslim scholar, Nigar Alam, was lynched last Saturday after he gave a speech deemed blasphemous by some during a rally organised by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Alam, who initially took refuge in a shop, was dragged out and beaten to death. Police said various investigations are underway.
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10/08/2021 13:04
