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Blasphemy accused girl: Police file case against 150 violent protesters
25 people have been named in the FIR, while the identities of the remaining protesters are yet to be determined.
People gather outside the house of the Christian girl, who was arrested on charges of blasphemy, in Mehrabad in the suburb of Islamabad: PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: Capital police has filed a case against 150 people for violently protesting against a young Christian girl arrested on blasphemy charges, BBC Urdu reported on Wednesday. The protesters had called for action against the accused.
Christian girl Ramsha was arrested for allegedly burning pages inscribed with verses from the Holy Quran.
The spokesperson for Islamabad police told BBC Urdu that the protesters were charged for destroying public and private property, damaging cars and blocking roads by burning tyres.
The spokesperson added that 25 people have been named in the FIR, while the identities of the remaining protesters are yet to be determined.
According to police, a person named Amir is one of those charged in the FIR and had been provoking people to demand action against the Christian girl.
Amnesty International, Human Rights First and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan have condemned the blasphemy charge against the 11-year-old Christian girl and urged the government to provide her protection.
President Asif Ali Zardari also took notice of this incident and asked the Interior Ministry to present a report to him.
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Reader Comments (40)
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“Demanding action” is violence now? With that definition majority of our political parties affiliated workers would be in jail.
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What a joke; so the efficient police finally woke up when there was international protest
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Very good. The imam must be booked under terrorism related charges, and should be sent to jail for inciting for murder, false reporting, and himself indulging in blasphemy by making false blasphemy claims.
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Registering FIRs against radicals is not a solution while the existence of religious militancy has already been denied by the Pakistan Supreme Court. Our Chief Justice has shown more concerns about Atiqa Odho’s liquor than Shias blood. The only way out of this miserable situation is to secularize the constitution on a war footing that would purge it of all religious references including the blasphemy laws, Objectives Resolution, etc. I fear if we do not do it now, the rest of the world will have to do it at some point in time.
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You are sick Pakistan. Heal thyself.
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Protests should be discouraged with full force in such sensitive cases. All these should be left to state and courts to deal with.
Its indeed contempt of court as well, because the case is already sub-judiced and people are coming out to influence the courts.
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@HRK: Burning everything down is not a plausible way of “demanding action”.
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No point to it. The judiciary is in cahoots with the extremists, they will walk free the day of the first hearing.
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This is nonsense.. they should’ve arrested the cleric in the first place who issued fatwa against that child. He should have been tried before ATC for clear case of incitement to violence.!!
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Kick on the backsides from USA and France really worked.
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@HRK:
I couldn’t get you.. Are you with the protesters?
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I can’t believe how jahil our nation is.
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isn’t she arrested,so what kind of action these people are demanding anyways…do they want her to be killed in front of their blood thirsty eyes…this is precisely the reason why pakistan should be declared as a terrorist nation
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Why the media in Pakistan is so poor and low. Why ET has to depend on BBC news. Referring to the present news, not only arrest the culprits, but recover the cost of damages from them so that others get a lesson and behave like proper citizens. Killing a human being has become a religious festival in Pakistan.
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The 11-year old Christain girl is said to be suffering from Down’s syndrome. Are people of Pakistan gone mad…The Down’s are people with abnormal intelluctual…idiots – protesters
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So where’s the report demanded by the President? What’s the current status of the young girl? This appears to be a re-hash of an old article – no new information.
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@piya:
Why you indians always have to whine and rant. Police took action and you are still unsatisfied.
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I agree those people who want implementation of blasphemy law should be punished.
The blasphemy law is a disgraceful inhuman law.
I am a muslim and it is a pathetic law used to kill and mutilate INNOCENT people.
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@HRK:
Demanding action is not violence, neither a crime. Threatening to take law into ones own hands is.
As per the previous reports, the mob was demanding for the girl to be handed over to them. For what? In all probability, she wouldn’t be alive today, if their demand was fulfilled.
Not withstanding the ethics of the blasphemy law, isn’t she a citizen of your country? Shouldn’t she have the right to defend herself in court of law?
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Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
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And your other story is that Muslims in NY were spied upon, well when muslims lock up christians with made up charges, at least NY can look into who is trying to create havoc in NY. At least they did not frame illegal stupid charges such as defaming US and lock up Muslim in NY
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@Adnan, @Suraj and all others offended by my first comment:
I apologize…I completely misread the headline and excerpt and thought that the Christians were demanding justice and case was logged against them. I stand corrected, the case was rightfully filed.
Apologies to the offended ones due to misunderstanding.
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Islam is a religion of peace and love**
**Conditions apply
-A muslim should be given freedom in a non-muslim country
-A non-muslim should obey the law of land in a muslim country
-A muslim can thump their chest and criticize other religion in gatherings
-A non-muslim shouldnt even burn pages of Quran even by mistake
-A muslim can reproduce like rats,but should get govt benefits and reservations
-Muslims can commit ethnic cleansing on non-muslims in their country,or even other sects of muslims
-A peaceful mujahideen could bomb your local market just because 1000s of miles away in a different country,his muslim brothers were attacked
-A non muslim country shouldnt interfere with the laws of a muslim country
Lastly,Muslims have every right to be hypocrites
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Pakistan is a Muslim country that needs to have Blasphemy laws to protect Quran and Allah.
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@piya:
when they arrested the girl they saved her from being beaten to death. the police was there on time. taking the girl into custody was a smart move.
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Now now.
i live in an area of islamabad right beside these folk.
THEY ARE NOT MUSLIMS. These guys are the farthest from being muslims. They do not fast, they like to have sex non-stop and they don’t work, except for the ladies which tend to work as household servants.
The fact that these people protested, is just mind-blowing for me. These are people that send their kids to parks in the main city of islamabad, and let them play from 6am to 1 am without giving a damn.
Their own land is not theirs. It’s disputed territory that they refuse to hand over to the CDA, and has lead to alot of problems for people that live near them, in the form of theft and encroachments.
I do not know why they came out to the streets, but this is just ridiculous to say the least.
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Would it not be better to declare dead the blasphemy law – a man-made law? This would minimize future incidents like these. The fact that the political parties, the armed forces and the SC are silent on the issue, on the morality of this law, they are supporting blasphemy law.
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This is a charade. I have seen it all before on this very website.
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150 violent protesters will be named in the report.
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No mention will be made of the perpetrators who actually incited the mob.
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0 perpetrators will be arrested.
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!00% of the 150 will get away scot-free.
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Don’t believe me? Check out the case of the mentally ill man who was burned alive in Bahawalpur.
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Day Four!! Still waiting Interior ministers report. Believe me nothing good will happen, just like Asia Bibi’s case.This notice by our beloved President is just show world that he is concern. After few days everyone will forget. and our CJ how is trying to become Majo man
is sitting like a wet cat in his chair. Shame Shame to all political parties and their leaders.What a pethatic country. I feel sorry for QauidAzam.
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I wonder who has the down syndrome, the Christian girl or the Muslims fanatics, I’d say the Muslims protestors and of course the village idiot, The Imam.
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@Reddy:
Atleast it isnt a hypocritical nation like yours. Remember the saying “baghal main churee aur moo main ram ram”? Knife kept hidden while whispering sweet nothings. Thats the character of cham-chums in India. With all the problems in India, I dont know why Indians jump in on forums/ discussions here. Perhaps they want to re-affirm their “wannabe” superpower status while hiding the fact that power cuts are just as bad in India as they are in Pakistan. Please look at rape every 1/2 hour in India. Please look at how dalits are treated in India. Please look at how Australian missionaries were burnt by hindu zealots. Look at what happened in Gujarat. Currently, look at what your security forces are doing in Kashmir. the poverty in Pakistan is not as bad as it is in India – ofcourse our politicians are working overtime to get us there. When you think that you are virtuous and dont have any issues, then feel free to jump onto the moral band wagon here. Till then – auparishtika!
I would also like to ask ET to stop people posting from India. They have no reason to post here. They add no value to the discussion but give false notions of prosperity when people there are much much porer than they are in Pakistan.
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I agree with Jihad Bil-Qalam. Islam is SECULAR (not in denouncing ones personal faith), and preaches equal rights be given to all the subjects. By the way, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), within his lifetime, had himslef given a written covenent to Monastry of St. Kathrines Church of Mt. Sainai (second to Vatican), whereas all the muslims around the world are instructed to actually protect christians of their life, property and religion. Their places of worships can not be harmed. Also, the same covenent enpowers a christian woman that if she marries a muslim man, she can choose to stay in her Christian faith. What a shame that majority of our so called muslims scholors and ullamahs are actually doing completely opposite what their prophet said. Isn’t that blasphemous to go against the will of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and The Quran (An innocent Killer be tried as mass murder – person who kills an innocent kills all the humanity)? JIBRAN said right, a flase accuser of blasphemy be tried for as blasphemous. By the way, this blasphemous law was actually made by British Raj at their time of rule, and had been the same all along. Only, thanks to our GREAT GEN. ZIA, it was moulded to become a mass murder scheme against all his, and his deciple’s opposers.
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The girl has done nothing wrong by burning pages of the Quran.
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Where are these so go soldiers of Islam when mosque are bombed and destroyed by terrorist Taliban, millions of copy of Quran have been destroyed….no protest no accusations….guess its only allowed for a Muslim to show disrespect to Islam!
Pakistan Zindabad
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@Vikram:
Protect Quran??? What a non-sense slogan by an ignorant one ! Whither the Quranic Aya, that Allah (ST) Himself is the protector of that Book.
There is only one comment on you: Shaitaan is ruling your senses… Recommend
Would a mulla or other village idiots like to know:
When Quran was gathered and officially assembled into one volume by syedna Othaman (RA), all parchments and writings of verses on different surfaces (such a skins, papyrus, stones, cloths, etc) were collected from every person, and destroyed by BURNING.
What is your fatwa about grammer book for learning Quran?. If it becomes damaged, or rendered fatigued/unworkable, I would have preferred to disposed it off in the same manner, as adopted by syedna Othman RA..
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How long before our CJ releases them all?, why does our CJ love extremists?
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Prophet Muhammad and the four Caliphs after him never punished anyone for such a blesphemy…read the history please.
Quran does not mention any such act as a blesphemy.
Are the present day Mullahs,greater Muslims than the prophet ?
Supreme court is afraid to take a suo moto action against these fanatics, since the judges know what this mad nation will do to them exactly.what did they do to Salman Taseer for speaking out.
Pakistan is pathetic joke of a nation in the eyes of rest of the world.
I tell you my friends in USA ,laugh at this nation and I cannot face them.
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Please stop this insanity for the sake of this poor mentally challenged girl, who probably dosent have a clue of whats going on. Shame on our nation.
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I dont know about girl, blasphemy, muslim or christian. If you have children, think about a 11 year old challenged girl being locked in a dark room away from your mom and dad. If that does not melt your heart….. are you human?
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