Wronged victim in blasphemy case tries to lead a normal life

Zaibunnisa, the victim of a false blasphemy allegation, has spent 14 years locked up in a mental facility.


Rabia Mehmood July 27, 2010

LAHORE: Zaibunnisa, the victim of a false blasphemy allegation, has spent 14 years locked up in a mental facility.

Zaibunnisa has recently been reunited with her family, although her lawyer Aftab Ahmad Bajwa had previously said that her family had not pursued her case, and had forgotten about her. Her lawyer had also said that Zaibunnisa suffered from schizophrenia.

Speaking to Express 24/7, Zaibunnisa appeared alert and said she recognised her younger sister.
A resident of Maari Danish Mandan village in Suhala area, Zaibunnisa was charged with desecrating the Holy Quran by a local cleric, Qari Mohammad Hafeez, 14 years ago. Then a divorcee, Zaibunnisa, was financially dependent on her nephews. Her only sister, Azizunnisa, says the nephews had lied to the police and the family about Zaibunnisa’s case.

“All these years, I thought my sister was dead,” said Azizunnisa. “They [the nephews] told me she was dead and then I found out that they told the police she didn’t have any relatives.”

It was a report on Express News that caught the family’s eye. They contacted a lawyer, and are in the process of rehabilitating her.

Zaibunnisa spent nine years behind bars without a trial - and another five years at the Punjab Institute of Mental Health. This transfer took place when a sessions judge in Rawalpindi was informed that Zaibunnisa had been diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia.

Psychiatrist Dr Tahir Pervaiz said that Zaibunnisa had not received treatment during her imprisonment. “She has not fully recovered. She needs institutionalised care, social skills and regular medicines,” he said.

A petition to the Lahore High Court brought the case to light again on July 22, when the court asked the complainant and investigation officers to provide evidence against Zaibunnisa. They could provide no evidence of the crime.

Zaibunnisa’s counsel, Bajwa, claims that the people who filed the false case against her will face very few consequences if they are ever tried. “Section 182 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) clearly mentions that if anyone makes a false allegation against a person and the court acquits that person, then the complainant is guilty. The punishment for this is six months and a fine,” Bajwa said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2010.

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