Ahmadi literature: Blasphemy suspect denied bail

‘Suspect’s claim that he was not aware of the content was not plausible’.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge on Saturday dismissed an after-arrest bail application of a man accused of operating a printing machine on which blasphemous literature was produced.

Asmat Ullah had said he was innocent and that he had nothing to do with the offence. He had also asked the court to order that his name be removed from the FIR.

Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, the counsel for the complainant, told the court that Asmat Ullah had printed blasphemous literature.

He said that Asmat Ullah’s claim that he was just operating a printing machine and was not aware of the content was not plausible.

“How can a man who knows he is working for Ahmadis not know what kind of literature is being printed?” he asked.



The FIR registered in Old Anarkali police station under Sections 298-C and 295-B of Pakistan Penal Code, says on February 24 the complainant Tufail Raza went to Altaf Book Binding to get a cost estimate for having his diary bound. He claimed he saw what appeared to Quranic literature and Islamic books at the shop. He said he picked one and started reading it and found out that the books were Ahmadi literature. He said he immediately called police  who confiscated the books.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2013.