Yet another Christian woman charged with blasphemy

By
Asher John
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47
449

Police in Khichiwala, Bahawalnagar district have charged a young Christian woman under the country’s blasphemy laws allegedly for speaking against the Holy Prophet (PBUH), while her family claims that she has been framed for refusing to renounce her faith on the insistence of some relatives who had recently converted to Islam, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Twenty-six-year-old Shamim, mother of a five-month-old girl and resident of Chak No. 170/7R Colony, Fort Abbas tehsil, was taken into custody on February 28, by the Khichiwala Police and charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code after her neighbours accused her of uttering blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
However, Shamim’s brother Ilyas Masih and brother-in-law Shahbaz Masih told Pakistan Today that the young woman had been wrongly accused as she had turned down an invitation to convert to Islam just a day before she was accused of uttering blasphemous remarks.
“Nazeeran, sister of Shamim’s husband Bashir Masih, nephew Nadeem and niece Bella converted to Islam on February 24, and called on her to do the same … she refused, telling them that she was satisfied with Christianity and did not want to convert,” Ilyas said.
“Shamim told us on the telephone that Nazeeran and others were forcing her to convert, and asked us to visit her. We [Shamim’s father and two brothers] went to meet her on February 27, and left just before evening. At night we were informed that Shamim’s neighbours had accused her of blaspheming,” said Ilyas.
According to the First Information Report (FIR No. 30/12) registered by the Khichiwala Police Station, Ansar Ali Shah, a local prayer leader of Chak 170 /7R Colony, alleged that Shamim’s neighbours Hamad Ahmed Hashmi and Abdul Qayyum had told him and other Muslims that they had heard the Christian woman blaspheming while standing in her courtyard.
As the allegation against Shamim spread, a large number of villagers besieged her house and demanded “severe punishment” for her as she had hurt their religious sentiments.

WRONGLY ACCUSED

Shamim’s family claims that she has been wrongly charged with the offence.
“Qayyum, one of the two men named in the FIR as witnesses, has denied hearing anything from Shamim’s mouth that supports the charge. Qayyum told police that he wasn’t even present in his house at the time of the alleged incident, and had come to know about it from Hamad, the other witness,” said Shahbaz, Shamim’s brother-in-law.
Shahbaz said that according to the information gathered from Shamim’s neighbourhood, Hamad, who drives a motorcycle rickshaw, was also not present at his house at the time of the alleged incident, 3pm (as noted in the FIR).
“Hamad transports schoolchildren and could not have been in his house at the time of the incident as it was just after school closing hours,” he said.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Bahawalnagar SP Investigation Irfan Ullah admitted that one of the two witnesses had admitted to not being present at the alleged crime scene at the time of the incident.
“Qayyum told us that he hadn’t witnessed the incident and his name had been included in the FIR by the locals, but still that does not prove that Shamim did not commit blasphemy. The other witness is standing by his claim and she has produced nothing so far which can prove her innocence,” Irfanullah said, while vehemently denying that the police had caved-in to pressure of the locals and registered the case in undue haste.
“I visited the village twice and so far nothing has come up that suggests that the people have accused Shamim wrongly. We registered a case against her on the directions of the District Police Officer,” he said, adding that her challan would be sent to court within the week.
Bahawalnagar DPO Salman Ali Khan’s phone went unattended.
Shamim’s family and her minor daughter, meanwhile, will have to wait for a long time until she can return back to them.
To date no one has been executed for blasphemy in Pakistan, as most are freed on appeal after suffering for years under appalling prison conditions. However, vigilantes have killed at least 10 people accused of blasphemy, rights groups estimate.

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47 COMMENTS

  3. Bahawalnagar SP and the conspirators should be castrated and hanged by rope around neck till kicks his last breath.

    Pakistan can not be recognized as a civil society as long as blashpemy law exists in it's book…

    • removing blasphemy law is not the solution. the government should make sure it is not used against any person to settle disputes. in this case the police is responsible for accepting complaint without investigating

    • Well both cases could be possible here. One could be that she commit the charge and now denying the fact. Other could be that someone is blaming her to take their personal revenge.

  4. Shame, shame, and shame on those who did it and on the police who entertained a complaint and pressed charges against the young lady.
    Looks like that whole Pakistan has lost its mind. How long will you do this and what God is that you are trying to please?

    • How can even Chief Justice pass fair verdict in such cases, as Mullahs use every cheap tactic to get verdict in their favor… Mullahs should be annihilated and all their supporters..

  6. I fail to understand if Islam is a religion of peace or barbarianism or is it implement incorrectly? but as I look closely as Islam allowed slavery and concubines as written in Quran then everything makes perfect sense.

    –Khalid

  8. This is getting out of control,why all this happens in Punjab? Its always Punjab where Ahamadis are attacked,churches attacked etc,this so called blasphemy Law must be changed,its a man made law,its also makes me think that Islam was spread by force,I am lucky I quit islam in high school,there is too much religious fanaticism in punjab,punjabis dont say anything about heera mundi of Lahore but they claim to be very good muslims,I think punjab should be droned.

    • Dear khyber,
      I dont think punjab has anything to do with this extremisim in particular, you have no idea of the extremist elements across Pakistan specially in KP and Sindh. I am a human rights actavist so I come across such "uncalled for acts". Recently Sindh has been in the news for forcing hindu girls to convert to Islam. So if you want to finish extremisim from pakistan the whole country has to be droned.

      • You will find extremists all over in world. not just pakistan. we have to learn to live and let live

    • Well it doesn't matter which province these things get happens. Its just the education and complete faith which are missing from these people. I can ask the same question. why all target killing is done in sindh and balochistan ? why all drone attacks are required in KPK ? why Baloci's are being abducted ? etc etc and many more questions like that. There is no use of pointing some region. Instead of blaming a province one should look deeper into the matter to eradicate the wrong use of any law.

      Lolz @ your thoughts. I am feeling pitty for you. Well go and talk to people. There are even documentries on heera mandi 😛 People do avoid due to their own reasons. You can judge a whole natuon just due to bunch of people.

  12. the witness was nor present there but instead of giving her the benefot of doubt ssp is saying that she hasnt proved that she has not uttered the remarks? Does she have to prove? Or do the witnesses have to prove against her??? Every where its innocent until guilty.. only when case of blasphemy comes they change it into guilty until one proves herself innocent??

    CJ should take notice of this. If there is no proof against the lady, she should be apologized and set free!

  13. Please allow everyone to abuse Prophet Muhammad(PBUH). its a fashion now a days .

    if we apply the logic of our desi liberal to abolish Blasphemy law then first Lets finish police department as it is most corrupt department of pakistan , lets finish democracy as democracy has not given us anything , lets abolish courts because lot of innocent people were charged ….

    • bhai no one can dare abuse our holy prophet (pbuh) but it is also true that innocent people are made victims of the law due to rivalry. the government should ensure law is not used to settle personal dispute.`

  14. this is pathetic, sad highly deplorable, my sympathies for the poor family, this is a cruel unjust law and should be abolished at any cost. This is barbarism.

  15. Another innocent christian women will go through pain and suffering for a so called "Islamic law" it has to be amended before it gets too late and we lose our status as a civil soceity.

  16. If you think Pakistan is backward having these laws. Many 1st world European countries have law for denying and saying against halocaust which Carries punishment of 6 months in jail.

  17. A simple solution is to send out all the minorities to wherever they wish to emigrate and then there will be no one to commit blasphemy! the minorities will also be glad and grateful to leave this insecure land for them.

    • Your simple solution won't look that good when all the 'majority' (you are talking for) would be kicked out and around in places outside your domination and dumped on your lap.

      How are you going to feed yourself or have a strip of loin cloth even for you 'jenanas'? Poor Satu(r)n…

  18. why the sp sent the woman to jail when he know that the witnes is false. this shows that police do not care to find truth but are just sending innocent people to jail under serious charges

    • I agree. SP should have investigated the incident before registering the case. its not just minorities but muslims also who are trapped in false cases. what if the woman is found innocent after some years ???

  19. Please lets not make Shamim suffer if she's not guilty. The case should be investigated by Mian Shahbaz Sharif and the poor woman should be freed immediately

  24. I was just wondering, who is the god of islam, allah or mohammed? What the hell is a blasphemy law? blasphemy against who mohammed? a man? this woman is innocent and just because she does not want to be islamic is why she is being convicted, So there should be one law, mohammed or death… that's islam right.

  25. "Pakistan" How does it feel to be living in a place still considered "third world", "primitive", and "backwards" in the 21st Century? What a joke. People criticize the U.S. We have these scumbags in groups like CAIR promoting Islam and and the perversion that is sharia and calling Americans "racist". Take note of what would happen if a bunch of clowns from the KKK or Nazi party tried to parade down the street in their costumes of sheets and swastikas. Real Americans would let them know what "getting stoned" really means. In other words they would be chased out of town. However, people like that rarely show themselves because they know what would happen. It's called "Level of Acceptance". You in Pakistan have these atrocities happening, behavior that to you is considered normal, because you're still a primitive, backwards, uncivilized country whose population is just this side of believing in black magic. To tolerate this type of evil just tells the rest of the world that you're barely out of the Stone Age and should be treated accordingly; At a distance.

  28. When Muslims cannot live in peace in Pakistan,what hope is there for minorities or those who practice non Muslims faiths.

  29. Just so long as the "christian woman" and her child do not come to Britain screaming "I WANT ASYLUM!!!", I do not care what happens to her, her child, or what happens in Pakistan. Just stay out of Britain – we do not need or want any more of you.

  31. Religion has to be removed from state affairs and Law should be free from religous influence. Beard should be banned, Hijab should be torned. Humanity should be preached. NO public display of religious symbols.

  32. Pakistan has contiued to wipe out its minorities. In this case too it is like asking the lady to convert at gunpoint. Once converted the lady becomes a thing in their muslim culture. Each woman is worth one-fourth man. Tortured. stoned, acid fling, killed. Why cant the muslims learn to co-exist with others. Everybody's God is same, no matter what name you give it. Just like all human beings are same with exact two eyes to see, two years to be pulled when wrong, one big mouth to speak loud, one big ego problem tough to maintain. So why do the muslims not see just the way others see life. Why cant they live in peace with all others and enjoy the others culture to make life more beautiful.

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