Pakistan

LHC frees blasphemy accused after 14 years

Lahore High Court on Thursday released a mentally ill woman held without trial for 14 years on blasphemy allegations.

Afp July 22, 2010

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Thursday released a mentally ill woman held without trial for 14 years on allegations of desecrating the Quran, her lawyer and court officials said.

Despite "no evidence" being found against 60-year-old Zaibul Nisa, she had been left to languish in the prison section of a mental asylum since 1996, the court said. Nisa's family did not challenge her detention, according to her lawyer.

Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Khawaja Mohammad Sharif, "has ordered the release of Zaibul Nisa after no evidence was found against her," a court official told AFP. "The chief justice expressed his dismay over keeping the woman confined so long without any trial," the official said.

Nisa was arrested in the town of Rawat, near the capital Islamabad, after a local resident filed a complaint at a police station that someone had desecrated the Quran, defence lawyer Aftab Ahmad Bajwa said. Bajwa said that Nisa's name was not even mentioned in the police complaint. "Nobody, not even her relatives, pursued the case. She was sent to jail and then forgotten by everyone," Bajwa told AFP, who took up her case last year for humanitarian reasons.

Complainant Qari Mohammad Hafeez told reporters at the hearing that he had not specified anyone by name in his submission and that police had arrested Nisa of their own accord.

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law carries the death penalty -- although no one has ever been sent to the gallows for the crime. Two Christian brothers accused of writing a blasphemous pamphlet critical of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) were shot dead on Monday outside a court in the eastern Pakistani city of Faisalabad. Human rights activists want the legislation repealed, saying it is exploited for personal enmity and encourages religious extremism.

COMMENTS (12)

Anwar Ahmad | 14 years ago | Reply This is not the only unfortunate case where anyone accused of Blasphemy has languished in Jail for years before acquittal from higher court. Last month another person was freed after seven years when LHC finally acquitted him after being sentenced for life in a fabricated blasphemy case from a lower court. This and other similar laws denying freedom of religion must be repealed at the earliest and statue books must be freed from theocracy.

Fakeha Aasim | 14 years ago | Reply who knows ,perhaps its a plot again st the woman form the begining by her family, she must have stood up for her rights or something related ot property.If you put the facts straight it is impossible for a family to forget about a member which is thrown away in jail...talk about conveninece.Shame on the family

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Suzanna masih | 14 years ago | Reply Heres another proof that people use this hideous blasphemy law for their own profit.... the family probably didn't want to take care of the poor woman and therefore never pressed the issue further as for the 'esteemed' qari sahib he didn't mention any name in the complaint so why didn't he bother to explain that to he police when they arrested the woman??? what was more important to him than saving a mentally ill woman from suffering more anguish for something she may not have done and even if she did she wasn't in her right mind surely its simply stupid to expect a mentally ill person to understand the sanctity of religious books !! i say its high time the educated civilized society (if we have any)to come forward and press the govt to repeal this atrocious Balsphemy law!

faraz | 14 years ago | Reply @Tony i agree

Qureshi | 14 years ago | Reply I d rather say Wake Up Pakistani Muslims, or can we use the term wake here? You wake up from Hibernation but it looks very much like a death scenario.

ali | 14 years ago | Reply shame on us,what we are doing in the name of religion

Khawaja Faraz Ahmed | 14 years ago | Reply @ Tony Khan can you deny Holocaust in Europe?.....then what is the question of being civilized or uncivilized ? dont you find the law against holocaust hideous? or Europe is uncivilized?

M Chaudhry | 14 years ago | Reply We come across such disturbing news items frequently where this controversial law is distorted, and misused by bigoted people to settle their own scores. Any body who reads a story like this and turns the page over to go to another piece of news, without raising their voice, is party to the crime, where people like Zaibul Nisa have lost many precious years of their lives languishing in prison. . . . just as the "Respected" Qari Sahib, the family of this unfortunate woman and the investigating officer are partners in this hideous crime. May be your conscience will give you a jolt or two if you put yourself or one of your loved ones in her position, maybe . . . . .

Faisal Naseem Chaudhry | 14 years ago | Reply The defence lawyer did a commendable service by taking up the case on humanitarian grounds. This is how sorrows and griefs of a society can be shared by those who can share so. Otherwise, the lady would had remained in jail for another 14 years since she was not even in a position to write a letter to the Chief Justice.

Ahmed Khan | 14 years ago | Reply They can get away with this in this world but insh'Allah in the Hereafter, they will face the consequences. (Hope they do)

Tony Khan | 14 years ago | Reply The Complainant Qari Mohammad Hafeez together with the police and our justice system are responsible for this despicable crime against this woman. The Qari had had the sense to lodge a complaint but lacked the foresight and moral responsibility to see the process through. How will the Qari face the Almighty? The police's apathy is simply beyond words. May God show them the right path. The justice system is only for the powerful. Wake up Muslims, repeal this hideous law which does not exist in most civil countries.

Azeem | 14 years ago | Reply shouldnt the investigating officers be punished for this. seems like her family may have turned her in just to get rid of her. it happens unfortunately.

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