A fire forgotten: When silence is saviour

Afraid of being persecuted, Joseph Colony’s residents choose to not record statements in court

LAHORE:

Three years after over 200 houses and two churches were set ablaze in a fit of senseless rage, residents of the Christian neighbourhood of Joseph Colony harbour little hope of ever getting justice.

A charged mob went on an arson and looting spree on March 9, 2013 in the neighbourhood of Lahore’s Badami Bagh area after a young Christian man, Sawan Masih, was accused of blasphemy. The man in question was arrested, tried and eventually handed the death sentence on March 27, 2014. The father of two was also fined Rs200,000.

Consequently, the police also registered an FIR under anti-terrorism charges against 83 nominated suspects for burning and looting houses along with ‘thousands’ of unidentified accomplices. The case is pending before an ATC in Lahore, with all the accused released on bail since the trial started.

The counsel for these victims of arson, Nadeem Anthony, says there were a total of 163 witnesses, including 40 police officials and officers. He adds that of the 123 Christian witnesses, only 52 have recorded their statements before the court. The rest have refused, fearing dire consequences at the hands of the accused. Anthony says he has repeatedly tried to convince the witnesses, but they say the accused are influential people of the area.

Anthony, too, is hesitant to comment on the case and its possible conclusion. He says statements of police officials are being recorded by the court and it would be premature to say anything at the moment. He does, however, share that some of the witnesses have been attacked and physically tortured by unidentified culprits. In such a situation, it is impossible for a minority to record statements against the majority, he says.

Anthony stresses it is the state’s responsibility to protect witnesses and that the prosecution should keep such factors in mind, starting the case from scratch if need be. Moreover, some of the policemen who were injured while trying to resist the mob should have been mentioned as witnesses too, he says.

Khalid Masih, also known as Khalid Mughal, is a resident of Joseph Colony who has recorded his statement in favour of Sawan Masih, despite being pressured to not do so. Khalid says he personally tried to convince some witnesses to record statements, but the exercise proved futile.

Murad Masih, another resident of the locality, says police have mentioned his name in the column of witnesses, but he will not record his statement. Murad says he is a poor man with no other place to go to: a rivalry with the majority is not something a man in his position can afford. He says the police witnessed the entire incident and can go ahead and ensure justice if they can.

Ahsan Wyen, who is the counsel for some of those accused of arson, claims the police implicated innocent Muslim residents of the area for point scoring. Optimistic about their acquittal, he maintains they had nothing to do with the incident and were therefore bailed out.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2016.