Teen accused of sending blasphemous text message

Police hunting for family as law and order situation broke out.

KARACHI: The police are looking for a boy who has been accused in a blasphemy case, which has ignited a serious debate in the quiet locality and prompted a mob to ransack his house.

On Wednesday, Mobina Town police lodged an FIR against the teenager who allegedly sent out a blasphemous SMS to neighbours in the Sui Southern Gas Company staff colony located along University Road.

“We are looking for him and his family,” said DIG East Shahid Hayat. “But so far we are not aware of their whereabouts.”

Security has been strengthen in the locality a day after residents converged outside his house and barged in. The house was ransacked and its contents were set on fire.

An fir has been registered against the boy.

President of area mosque’s committee ,who also received the text message, has nominated the boy in the FIR.

Police investigating the case say the boy had told neighbours that he had sent the message without reading it. “I have seen the content of that message and it was really derogatory. No sane 17-year-old would do that knowing what happens to someone accused of blasphemy,” said a police officer.

He noted that it was strange that the message was sent from his cellular phone to “all the right people, posted at positions and who would have definitely raised a hue and cry about it”.

Correction: An earlier version of this article was erroneously running the picture of a cross. It has been changed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2012.