Alerts
 
< >

Rimsha's lawyer says medical report terms her as minor: Report

Published: August 28, 2012

Lawyer says report investigating the age and mental state of the girl determined she was between 13 and 14. PHOTO: ISRARUL HAQ/EXPESS/FILE

The lawyer contending the case of the arrest of a young girl from Islamabad on charges of blasphemy revealed that the medical report pronounced that the girl was a minor, reported Associated Press on Tuesday.

The girl, Rimsha, was arrested for allegedly burning a Noorani Quaida, a booklet used to familiarise children with Arabic as written in the Quran.

The lawyer, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said that the report by a medical board investigating the age and mental state of the girl determined she was between 13 and 14.

He said that this suggested that Pakistan’s juvenile court system will hear Rimsha’s case, which is generally more lenient toward defendants.

The lawyer revealed that the medical board’s report determined that her mental state did not correspond with her age. However, he said that it was “not clear whether that meant she was mentally impaired.”

on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook

Reader Comments (37)

  • Raw is War
    Aug 28, 2012 - 1:46PM

    Its a question of the girl not being a minor. Pakistani nation is a minor as far as ethics are concerned.

    Recommend

  • Nand
    Aug 28, 2012 - 2:09PM

    The whole world is watching you on this.

    Recommend

  • Aryabhat
    Aug 28, 2012 - 2:32PM

    Thank you ET for highlighting this case consistantly and neutrally!

    Pls continue that till the girl is released and her family is safe! PLEASE!

    Recommend

  • Bangash
    Aug 28, 2012 - 2:50PM

    I don’t know why non-muslims are abusing the holy books of muslims whereas muslims never abused books of other relegions.Recommend

  • Saad khan
    Aug 28, 2012 - 2:52PM

    A mob of adult muslim men attacking and beating up a defenseless child with Down syndrome.Is this what we have made islam into? Is this what we have reduced islam to? beating up mentally ill chidlren,how brave are our mujahideen now.This persecution of non-muslims at the hands of the 97% majority must stop.

    Recommend

  • Pakistani
    Aug 28, 2012 - 2:56PM

    Thank you so much ET for this information hope it will silent many people.

    Recommend

  • Vigilant
    Aug 28, 2012 - 3:04PM

    She is a kid…..must be released ASAP

    Recommend

  • Omar
    Aug 28, 2012 - 3:12PM

    @Aryabhat:
    Talking about minorities, what happened to the Indians that shot dead 2 Muslims on 16th July?? Were they arrested or not??

    Recommend

  • Dr.A.K.Tewari
    Aug 28, 2012 - 4:44PM

    RPEAL THE LAW regarding blashphemy in on strock and don’t establish Islam as an out dated religion any more .

    Recommend

  • Tariq Siddiqui
    Aug 28, 2012 - 4:54PM

    whether she’s a minor or adult should be judged based on Islamic law ie Shariah and not secular english common law.

    Recommend

  • Zalam Singh
    Aug 28, 2012 - 5:15PM

    @Omar
    This is Pakistan and the girl is Pakistani, go to India if you are so concerned about their issues.

    Recommend

  • Nadir
    Aug 28, 2012 - 5:17PM

    @Omar: How does comparing things to India make things better in Pakistan? Get a life, Pakistans sole goal isnt to be benchmarked against India. Just because something is happening in India does not justify things in Pakistan.

    Recommend

  • hello
    Aug 28, 2012 - 5:29PM

    @bangash

    remember bamiyan buddha statues which were destroyed by taliban

    Recommend

  • Hedgefunder
    Aug 28, 2012 - 5:42PM

    Ofcourse she is minor ! One does not need medical reports to verify the fact ! Stop wasting time and release her as its really showing up this Country in the World’s eyes as most ridiculous intolerent society full of hypocrates ! Recommend

  • Logic Europe
    Aug 28, 2012 - 5:46PM

    Only enemies of Islam can support this sort of animal behavior. ANYBODY can go and beat a minor girl , try some body higher up

    Recommend

  • Aug 28, 2012 - 5:48PM

    Killers kill children and the rogues support them. that is all.

    Recommend

  • Kay
    Aug 28, 2012 - 5:58PM

    Can we get a word from the girl herself? Wether she burned the Qaida intentionally or it was un intentional?

    Recommend

  • majaa
    Aug 28, 2012 - 6:06PM

    @Omar: Omar Sahib, let us clean under our own MUNGI ( bed) Do we know who slaughtered and BEHEADED our very own Sheas in videos posted around the world?

    Recommend

  • Cautious
    Aug 28, 2012 - 6:33PM

    Your President, PM and virtually every major leader in Pakistan haven’t lifted a finger or made a public speech to defend this child. Shame on Pakistan.

    Recommend

  • Mohammad Ali Gaad
    Aug 28, 2012 - 7:05PM

    If 13 or 14 years girl had sense to pass religious differences and atrocities by burning Noorani Qaida on fire( Nauzbillah) then it means she is up to the state and isn’t child anymore.

    Recommend

  • Asok
    Aug 28, 2012 - 7:11PM

    All these tests are just further humiliating and traumatizing her. Release her already and arrest the imam for inciting hate.

    Recommend

  • kevin
    Aug 28, 2012 - 7:14PM

    Spare the kids plz. Everyone is reading this issue in the world. That’s all we have to share?

    Recommend

  • Dr.A.K.Tewari
    Aug 28, 2012 - 8:01PM

    Continue this comment colum open till the black law is intact ,Plz.

    Recommend

  • Yuri Kondratyuk
    Aug 28, 2012 - 8:08PM

    @Bangash:

    muslims never abused books of other
    relegions

    I do not think Ghauri and Ghaznvi were too bothered about books. I wonder if they were even literate.

    Recommend

  • Nayla
    Aug 28, 2012 - 8:34PM

    To all those saying RELEASE her:

    Are you kidding? The girl is basically dead already. If she is released, then Muslim vigilanties are most assuredly going to track her down and murder her, and probably the rest of her family. This is a no-win situation for the poor girl and her family.Recommend

  • Shamy
    Aug 28, 2012 - 8:40PM

    @Nand:
    The whole world is also watching U.S Drones killing innocent civilians..

    Recommend

  • Jaideep Gupta
    Aug 28, 2012 - 9:25PM

    Why this innocent girl will receive the wrath of clerics.Some month ago a person arrested for blasphemy has been forced out from custody by fanatics and beaten to death.We all pray to Allah this is not happened with the girl this time

    Recommend

  • Justice
    Aug 28, 2012 - 9:43PM

    Just kill the baby inside prison. It is giving Pakistan a bad name. We are Muslim and do not have these oppressive laws, it is a propaganda! There is no Blasphemy law and none in prison!

    Recommend

  • pakistani
    Aug 28, 2012 - 10:20PM

    @Bangash. “I don’t know why non-muslims are abusing the holy books of muslims whereas muslims never abused books of other relegions.”

    yup, pakistani muslims have time and time again proven that we are entirely peaceful people and have never done anything wrong or discriminatory in our lives. In fact does discrimination toward other religions even exist in our country? I mean, we are just innocent victims 24/7 right??

    ps. there is no solid proof that she burnt anything..Recommend

  • jahanzeb
    Aug 28, 2012 - 10:23PM

    Kill the girl once out of prison and for sure virgins they meet in heaven will be happy to offer them their services. These sick people are spoiling the name of Isalam. Pakistani brothers please speak up.

    Recommend

  • kevin
    Aug 28, 2012 - 11:07PM

    Nayla
    I am scared now. You’re possibly right. Ours is the society full of people with no sense of reasoning and logic. I am a muslim. I wish she stays safe from those ignorants.

    Recommend

  • Noor
    Aug 28, 2012 - 11:47PM

    One word for people who want to prosecute and kill this girl. You will ALL burn in hellfire both in this world and the world after Inshallah.Recommend

  • Ahmed
    Aug 29, 2012 - 12:42AM

    Release this young girl and stop making islam look evil in the eyes of the world. Pakistan muslims you are shaming the ummah. Go and protest for her release.

    Recommend

  • Mustafa Alvi
    Aug 29, 2012 - 1:16AM

    People here are forgetting that the blasphemy law is not shariah and in fact it was imposed by general zia. Have we not heard of the story of the people of taif and the holy prophet? There were so many who oppressed upon him but even when he commanded the largest armies in arabia he only forgave those people. If he forgave them then who are we to punish this girl?

    Recommend

  • Bishop Dr. Ijaz Inayat
    Aug 29, 2012 - 2:04AM

    The question is not about the mental ability or the age of the girl.

    The big question is about the abuse and misuse of the Blasphemy Law. “Let us make it clear that abuse/misuse of this ‘Law’ will not be tolerated

    We want an action taken by the accuser.Recommend

  • Randeep Sherpao
    Aug 29, 2012 - 4:39AM

    @Shamy:
    u doesn’t make sense

    Recommend

  • Nayla
    Aug 30, 2012 - 11:43PM

    Kevin – I hope she stays safe too, but realistically, the only way she can be safe is for her to and her family to leave Pakistan.

    That mob that beat her were calling for her death. They wanted to BURN HER ALIVE. It is so saddening to think that there are so many people in this society that actually want to murder a child for burning the page of some book. She’s a CHILD for crying out loud. Children do stupid things. It’s not like she hurt anyone. Plus, if she’s ILLITERATE, how the heck would she have even known what she was burning? It wasn’t even a page of the Qur’an, it was a page from a book used to teach the Qur’an.

    Can you imagine how heartless, soulless, devoid of empathy and caring, and full of hate an adult must be to want to burn a child alive just for burning the page of a book? I fear for the future of Pakistan. It makes me SICK to know there are so many people like that in Pakistan.

    Recommend

More in Pakistan