Unfounded allegations: ‘Framed’ Christian moves court

Blasphemy accused has been languishing in prison for two years

LAHORE: A Christian blasphemy accused on Tuesday moved the district and sessions court seeking to be acquitted.

Accused Adnan Prince, who has been languishing in prison for two years, was nabbed on November 9, 2013 following the registration of an FIR against him under Section 295-A, 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The complaint was lodged against Prince after he had allegedly passed uncharitable remarks regarding a leader of the Jamatud Dawa (JD).

Prince’s counsel Advocate Asad Jamal blamed the prosecution for deliberately stalling proceedings. He said the case against his client was baseless. Jamal said there was no evidence available to corroborate any of the offences listed in the charge sheet presented.

He said the case was completely unfounded and there was zero possibility of Prince being convicted.

Jamal said it was imperative to outrage religious feelings for the application of Article 295-A. However, he said, Prince had not offended anyone’s religious sensibilities. Jamal said even the complainant had tacitly admitted this by filing an application seeking the deletion of the provision from the FIR.

He said Section 295-B was applicable in cases that involved the Quran having been defiled. Jamal said nothing of this sort had happened in this case.

He said Section 295-C was applicable on cases that involved disrespecting the Prophet (PBUH). Jamal said nothing of this sort had either happened in this case. He said even a report of the Punjab Foresic Science Agency had declared the evidence against the accused as inconclusive to the extent that the court could not admit it as incriminating and hold Prince liable to be convicted and sentenced.

The counsel for the accused said the comments had only been penned with reference to JD leader Ameer Hamza. He said the comments were being misconstrued as blasphemy. Jamal implored the court to acquit his client as he had been framed in the case.

Jamal told The Express Tribune that Prince was in a wretched state. He said he had not even been informed of his mother’s demise. Jamal said when he had last met him he had time and again requested for permission to see his mother.

Prince’s brother Irfan Masih told The Express Tribune that one Abid Mehmood used to work at a shop near that of his uncle—Mushtaq Masih—at College Road. Masih said Mehmood had later started working at his uncle’s concern. He said he had been deliberately planted there by his erstwhile employer to ruin Mushtaq’s business.

Masih said Township police had registered a complaint against Prince after Mehmood had approached them. He said Mehmood had told police that he had kept a copy of Hamza’s Maine Bible Say Poocha Quran Kyun Jalaye at the shop. Masih said Mehmood had claimed in his complaint that Prince had began reading the book out of free will.

Prince’s brother said Mehmood had informed people that Prince had inscribed blasphemous remarks in the book. Masih said the case had wreaked havoc on the fortunes of his uncle’s business who had also fled to save his life.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2016.