Blasphemy case: The boy has a psychiatric condition, claims uncle

KARACHI:

The uncle of a teenager awaiting trial on blasphemy charges has told a court that the young man suffers from a psychiatric condition.

Seventeen-year-old Samiullah allegedly wrote blasphemous sentences while frustrated in his Islamiat and Physics exams in early 2010. On Friday, Link Judge (East) Zafarullah Abro accepted the interim charge-sheet and directed the investigating officer Additional SP Misal Khan to submit a final charge-sheet.

During Friday’s hearing, the IO stated that Syed Arif Hussain, Samiullah’s paternal uncle, approached him and submitted a medical report that certified that Samiullah had a psychiatric condition.

ASP Khan has requested the relevant authorities for a proper medical examination to verify the claim made by the uncle.

The judge, accepting the interim charge-sheet, directed the IO to complete the formalities including the medical report and submit a final charge-sheet by March 14.

During investigations by the Sharae Noor Jehan police station, the boy had confessed that he wrote blasphemous sentences and thus committed an unpardonable sin.

Samiullah had also told the IO that his cousins Waqas and Tayyaba had visited from Oslo, Norway, to stay with his family and he had a discussion with them on religion. “The discussion changed my mind and during my exams, when I was unable to answer the questions, I wrote the sentences,” he was quoted.

He sought forgiveness from all Muslims.

The incident was reported to the police by Prof. Agha Akbar, the Karachi Intermediate Board controller examination, who also seized the answer sheets and sought legal action.

The FIR was lodged on May 1, 2010. The case now stands transferred from District Central to District East. The jail authorities have kept Sami’s identity secret to prevent any attacks on him inside.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2011.