Crtiticising blasphemy law is no blasphemy
Rationality was among the first casualties after the spread of religiosity and extremism in Pakistani society during and after the Zia era. Even before Partition a section of the clerics played with the religious sentiments to make the Indian Muslims run after mirages like the Khilafat and Hijrat movements. Thousands of people lost jobs, careers, businesses and properties only to find years later that they had been grossly misled. Over three decades of indoctrination through seminaries, pulpits and radicalised school curricula, many in Pakistan have been bitten by the bug of extremism. That quite a few lawyers raised slogans in support of Qadri at the lower court and two retired judges pleaded his case indicates that even the legal community has forgotten some of the basic ideas imparted in law colleges.
The Supreme Court raised two important points. First, whether a criticism of the blasphemy law in itself constitutes an act of blasphemy. Second, whether an individual is authorised to punish on his own a person he considers blasphemer. The answer of the apex court to both the questions is a no.
Crimes committed in the name of religion must not be treated lightly. Salmaan Taseer was not the only person who was targeted by misguided people under the influence of extremist clerics. A few years back a teacher who was also a Punjabi poet was murdered in Faisalabad on the instigation of his rivals who claimed he had committed blasphemy. The accusation has been used to settle personal scores, grab property or blackmail innocent people. Lawyers who defend those accused of blasphemy do so at great risk to their life. A lawyer was killed in Multan for defending a client falsely accused of blasphemy. As the court observed several incidents have taken place where instead of ascertaining the facts, people committed horrible acts.
The judgment would hopefully provide courage to lower judiciary while it deals with cases of blasphemy and would prove educative for the legal community at large.