Safely bailed?

Danger right now is given emotional outbursts we have seen over the issue, some fanatic may track her down, harm her.

After over two weeks in jail, Rimsha Masih, the minor girl with Down’s syndrome put in jail after being accused of desecrating pages of a Noorani Qaeda, has been released on bail. The additional sessions judge hearing the case in Islamabad set a bond of Rs1 million, surprisingly high for a minor who is also suffering from a disability.  No verdict has yet been reached in the case, which gained greater complexity after the mosque imam — in the slum area outside Islamabad where Rimsha lived — was accused by witnesses of planting the evidence on her.

For now, Rimsha has regained her freedom. Khalid Jadoon Chishti, the cleric accused of maliciously framing her, will also be tried. He remains in jail for now. But is Rimsha really safe? This is a question that should concern authorities. In the past, given the frenzy whipped up over blasphemy cases, those accused have been killed either during the course of court hearings or even after they were acquitted. Murders have also taken place in jail. The danger right now is that given the emotional outbursts we have seen in the area over the issue, some fanatic may attempt to track down the girl and harm her. Her parents have already fled the Mehrabad suburb where they lived, along with some 200 other Christian families. Christians in other cities have also stated that they were harassed by extremist forces following the incident.

It is important that the right thing is done. In the first place, Rimsha needs to be given security cover by the state. The time has also come to address the entire issue of the misuse of the blasphemy law and ensure that others do not fall victim to it. The process must began instantly. At the same time, those who falsely implicated Rimsha by planting the burnt pages in her bag, must be duly penalised under the law, so that others will think twice before engaging in similar acts and leading to other helpless people being thrown into prison cells.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2012.