It is up to the courts and the law to decide the fate of an individual accused of committing blasphemy
FAISALABAD: Days after the Anti-terrorism Court’s verdict in the Mashal Khan case, religious organisations and religio-political parties continue to stage protests and express their dissatisfaction over the conviction of the accused. The protesters regard death as the only punishment for a blasphemer in an Islamic republic. Regardless of the debate over blasphemy laws enshrined in the Constitution, no group or faction should be above the law.
It is up to the courts and the law to decide the fate of an individual accused of committing blasphemy and awarding a verdict as per the law, be it death sentence, life imprisonment or any other form of punishment. The protests are equivalent to supporting the idea of mob violence, allowing an enraged crowd to decide for the fate of one. Protesting groups should rather see the verdict in the light of justice being given not for punishing one over blasphemy but for taking the law into their own hands.
Haris Ali Yaqoob
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2018.
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