Pakistan's false blasphemy pretext:Savagery in the name of religion

Editorial:

The lynching in Bahawalpur of a man accused of desecrating the Holy Quran is symptomatic of a horrific brutalization of this society. The man, said to be mentally ill, was snatched from the custody of police and set alight. The police and the law of the land could not prevent the cruelty. He was murdered in cold blood without getting a chance to prove innocence. Ever since the Zia regime sowed the seeds of extremism in this country there have been several similar dreadful incidents of mob vigilante. In one case in Gujranwala, after the estranged wife of a Hafiz-e-Quran accused him of having desecrated the Holy Book, he too was burned to death by a horde and his body dragged in the city's streets. About three years ago, owner of a factory near Lahore was killed by a mob led by a disgruntled worker, on a false blasphemy pretext. Many others, mostly Christians, have been implicated in false blasphemy cases. These are but just a few of the numerous examples of savagery committed in the name of Islam, which places great emphasis on justice and compassion. As the present ghastly example shows the law enforcers are helpless to provide protection to the accused. And in instances where the law takes its course, lawyers are too afraid to defend the accused. In one such situation a few years ago, the Bishop of Faisalabad felt so frustrated at his helplessness to help a fellow Christian imprisoned on blasphemy charges engage a lawyer that he committed suicide. When cases are brought before the courts, judges are not free to apply their minds in pronouncing judgement. They can deliver justice at their own peril. About 15 years ago, a PPP-appointed judge of the Lahore High Court, Justice Arif Hussain Bhatti, was gunned down in his chamber after he exonerated two Christians in a blasphemy case; one of the men was shot dead while waiting for a bus to go home. It needs to be noted that often the accusers either have a personal score to settle with the accused or a property grab motivation. As a matter of fact, no one is safe on this account. Hence, rights groups have been demanding an amendment to the blasphemy laws, written by the Ziaul Haq regime, to prevent false allegations. Religious parties are fiercely opposed to any such amendment. Unfortunately they also remain silent when incidents such as the present one happen. That encourages people like the killers in Bahawalpur to take the law into their own hands.