ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan court yesterday threw out all charges against a Christian girl accused of blasphemy for allegedly burning pages of the Koran in a case that drew international condemnation.
Rimsha Masih, who could have faced life in prison if convicted of the charges, spent three weeks on remand in jail after being arrested on August 16.
She was released on bail in September but she and her family have been in hiding under government protection, fearful for their lives.
Although the decision to drop the case was welcomed, it is unlikely to pave the way for imminent reform of Pakistan’s blasphemy legislation, which activists say is too often used to settle personal disputes.
The prosecution said it would appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population are Muslims, and under the country’s penal code insulting the Prophet Mohammed can be punished by death.
Even unproven allegations can provoke a violent public response.
In a 15-page judgement, Islamabad high court chief justice Iqbal Hameed ur Rahman threw out the case registered against Rimsha and urged Muslims to be “extraordinary careful” while levelling such allegations.
He said putting Rimsha on trial would have seen the courts “used as a tool for ulterior motive” and “to abuse the process of law”.
Defence lawyer Tahir Naveed Chaudhry said that the family was “delighted” the case had been dropped, but said they “still live in fear”. Rimsha and her family were moved to an undisclosed location after her release on bail on September 8. An official medical report classified her as “uneducated” and 14 years old, but with a mental age younger than her years. Others have said she is as young as 11 and suffers from Down’s Syndrome.
Paul Bhatti, the only Christian member of Pakistan’s federal cabinet, welcomed the “historic” move, saying justice had been done.
AFP
