ISLAMABAD:
The blasphemy case against a Christian minor, Rimsha, took a new turn after the testimony of a witness saying the evidence against her had been planted.
Hafiz Zubair told a judicial magistrate on Friday that he saw Khalid Jadoon, the cleric behind the case, adding pages of the Quran into the ashes seized from Rimsha.
“I tried to stop the cleric from doing that but he refused to listen to me,” a police source told The Express Tribune quoting the witness, who was in aitkaf in the very mosque near Mehrabadia, a slum in the periphery of sector G-11 where Rimsha was living. Aitkaf is a religious ritual requiring the person to stay and pray at the mosque during the last 10 days of Ramazan.
The ashes were brought to the cleric by a young man named Hammad, who told the prayer leader that the Christian girl had burnt pages of the Quran; however, no such pages were visible in the ashes. After a talk with the boy, the cleric put some pages of Quran into the ashes in order to falsely implicate Rimsha, Zubair told the magistrate.
Zubair confirmed to The Express Tribune on phone that he had given the statement. However, he refused to give further details, before switching his phone off.
A senior police official formerly associated with the case investigations said based on the testimony, the police could register a case against the cleric or at least take him into custody. However, there were no reports of the arrest of the cleric on whose insistence and pressure the Ramna police had registered the blasphemy case against the Christian girl. No senior police officials, including SSP (Operations), were immediately reachable for a comment.
Hearing put off till Monday
Meanwhile the court of Additional Session Judge Muhammad Azam Khan on Saturday adjourned the hearing of the case till Monday after her parents requested the court to allow them to change her lawyer.
Rimsha’s mother, Irshad Bibi, requested the bench to allow Tahir Naveed to defend her daughter in place of Anjum Riaz, her existing lawyer. She told the court that they had no association with Riaz, who has acted dubiously during the case.
Also, Rao Abdur Rahim, the lawyer representing the complainant, objected to the fact that neither Rimsha nor her mother had signed the bail application submitted to the court or given the power of attorney to their lawyer.
Justice Khan directed the police to verify the power of attorney and adjourned hearing till Monday.
Talking to the media after the court proceeding, Naveed, Rimsha’s counsel, alleged that the complainant is employing delaying tactics. “The medical report has declared her mentally impaired and determined her age between 13 to14, so how can she commit blasphemy?’’
The complainant has challenged the validity of the medical report.
Earlier on Friday, the court had extended the girl’s judicial remand for two weeks. The girl, a Christian and said to be suffering from Down’s Syndrome, has been held since August 16 under the country’s strict blasphemy laws, evoking a strong reaction from rights groups.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2012.
COMMENTS (28)
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Let forgive the Imam Mr Khalid Jadoon, let show the love of God
Can we please change this controversial law that is prone to manipulation as proved by experience?
What's the point in reporting this? muslims are going to continue to support this cleric and continue to punish the girl. No justice. If he's been arrested, he's probably out of jail already.
The cleric won't be executed... the purpouse of the blasphemy law is oppress, kill or imprison the "evil kuffar"... even already persecuted ill girls...
Because there was strong evidence of mullah involvement that is why molvis and religious palrties are giving comments of support otherwise this poor Rimsha like Asia would have no hope. These mullahs and their supporter like religious parties and Imtran khan should be feeling ashamed. Religious parties should ne banned from politics and all man made islamic laws should removed from constitution. Make pakistan as Jinnah wanted it to be. Pakistan for every pakistani including christian,hindus ,shias and ahmadis.. No discrimation in name of religion and every body equal with equal rights. Seperate religion from politics if pakistan has to survive.
This is sad, Imam should have been filed under Blasphemy case immediately why Police is waiting there is solid witness against him. Whereas, they were active about Rimsha report. They put that innocent girl without any investigation behind bars. Where is chief Justice now ? why is government silent ?
It is interesting that the fallout from this incident have exceeded far beyond the little girl or the cleric. The Christians in that slum are have been threatened to convert or die and apparently have had gunfire aimed at their houses. So now, even if the cleric is found guilty, those families are still either homeless or in danger.
Gotta love a religious philosophy that allows you to get away with theft and murder and blame the victims for it.
From the appearance itself he looks like a no 1 criminal
The Imam should be charged with blasphemy.He damaged the Koran.What will most likely happen is that the witness will change his testimony under threat,and the cleric will go scot free
So the Clergy has started using the law for its own agenda ! I suppose it works, to eleminate the minorities from the community. Let's see as to what actions are taken against the cleric first by the Courts, as no one has any confidance left in Pakistan's Judiciary any more, due to their conviction rates and always lack of evidence !
seriously @paki christian:
Planting an evidence - Isn't what Imam did is what some political parties, ISI, ministries especially interior ministry or perhaps judiciary does? This method is an old trick being played since the time of Britishers. Does this mean other cases were also planted? Will SC take suo moto action - leaving aside other planted cases!!!!!!
See the face of religious intolerance ....Even a teen is not spared . But if she had been a muslim , then .....
It shows the mindset of our religious majority, nothing else.
Cleric must go to the prison for falsifying evidence. And shame that our judiciary is holding a minor on fabricated evidence.
shameful!!
i think RAW/CIA is behind this! it may be because of israel!
if proved guilty, than he should be severely punished for framing a little girl, tampering with the evidence, providing false info and causing a great deal of embarrassment to Pakistan & people... we must not let him walk free.... this guy is an embarrassing to us
Lets see if the cleric is now tried for Blasphemy!
He should be severely punished for framing the little girl, tampering with the evidence & causing great deal of embarrassment to Muslims
Ise kehate hein "Kahani mein twist"!!!
BTW, it would be interesting to know how did cleric got the pages of Quran? I mean, did he rip it off the Quran or ...? Does he get prosecuted for blasphemy then?....
Oh I see. No wonder DPC also condemned this act last week!
This cleric has in fact committed blasphemy - using his own standards. Let him face the barbaric consequences and understand how flawed his own version of the great religion Islam is.