Blasphemy - Rimsha Case

Rimsha Case

On Tuesday morning the Islamabad High Court (IHC), announcing its verdict, dismissed the FIR filed against 14-year-old Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, who was accused of committing blasphemy.

On Saturday (22nd September 2012) the police submitted the interim charge sheet at the session court Islamabad. The investigating officer Munir Jaffari submitted the report to Justice Ghulam Abbas Shah.

The police report states that they didn’t find any evidence or witness against Rimsha Masih for buring the pages of the Norani Qaida (the text book for learning the Quran), she is innocent. The cleric of the nearby mosque Khalid Jadoon Chisti was found guilty of tempering the evidence, adding the pages from the Quran in the bag that was brought to the mosque. The witnesses have already testified in the court against Khalid Jadoon Chisti.

The burnt pages found in the bag were sent for forensic examination in Lahore, the forensic report will be available in a few weeks.

The interim report further states that two witnesses confirmed that it was not Rimsha who went to throw the garbage; it was her six year old sister Savera.

Rimsha was arrested on Aug 16th under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, her case gained international attention because of the girl’s age and questions about her mental capacity. On Sept 7, the additional district and sessions court of Islamabad had granted bail to the girl. Later on Sept 8, Rimsha was airlifted from Adiyala jail to an unspecified location within Islamabad under the protective custody of police after completion of legal formalities by her lawyers. Rimsha and her family are forced to live in hiding fearing for their lives. In Pakistan even being accused of Blasphemy is equivalent to being sentenced.

Life for All Pakistan has welcomed the decision, This is the irony that justice comes only under international pressure. The Lower courts have completely surrender to extremists pressure because of states inability to protect them.

Xavier Patras William

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