LAHORE: Owner of a brick kiln - where a Christian couple accused of blasphemy was burnt - and three other suspects were presented before an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday, Express News reported.
An enraged mob on November 4 beat the couple to death and then burnt their bodies in the brick kiln where they worked, for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran. The incident took place in the town of Kot Radha Kishan, some 60 kilometres from Lahore.
Following the incident, 53 people were arrested of which four were held on physical remand and were presented in court today. These suspects were held in police custody for the last nine days.
An Imam of a local mosque was also presented before the court. He is accused of inciting the mob against the couple.
Police will also be presenting their findings before the judge.
It was earlier reported that the family of the couple were facing threats and were being pressured into withdrawing the case.
COMMENTS (13)
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@Abdullah: Dear Judges, Give them same kind of death publically as they did for the couple.
Penality should be harsh on them but not the same. Law in any country is not about revenge but to create and maintain order among it's residents. Court can not create same atmosphere as mob created, otherwise law enforcers and criminals will not be distinguishable from each other.
@Khan Gul: Javed Iqbal was not dissolved in acid although the judge did order that punishment cause existing laws do not allow it. However Javed Iqbal committed suicide (or may have been killed) while in prison. And i do not mourn his death. Those that did this and particularly the instigators should indeed suffer the death penalty so that such an incident never occurs. However our government for reasons best know to them has in place a moratorium on the death penalty since 2008.
@Shams Khan: you got into technicalities but a case by the government needs witnesses; do you really think people (especially family of the murdered couple) won't be facing that in this case? From the news reports published here and other papers like Dawn, all other Christians in the area had fled the village the day of the incident itself, fearing for their lives - hows that for real, life-threatening fear and pressure to save your family's and your own lives.....
The culprits will go SCOT FREE, as always happens in Pakistan in such cases. I wish you would make an example of at least ONE such culprit being given the same punishment as meted out to these poor, innocent murdered people.....beat them black and blue till they're bathed in blood, parade them naked around the village, then take them to the hottest part of the brick kiln and push them in......then you could be fairly certain this won't happen as easily as it does now.
@Raj - USA:
Agreed. We should thank MAJ for this. It was his dream to create this land which is now officially a failed state.
When we,as young lads, used to go on hunting with our airguns we had a problem-The crows would chase us over sky with their never ending cawing alerting other birds to fly away from danger.Their scheme was perfect-We came back without hunting a single bird but with anguish for cunning crows.We told our sad tail to a professional hunter.Next day he came along with us and shot one crow down.What happened? Thousands of crows started coming from all side at the place of incidence we move forward without any crow paying a damn to us.That was the first day we had our table decorated with hunted meat.
(It was earlier reported that the family of the couple were facing threats and were being pressured into withdrawing the case.) the state is complainant in this case family has put up application with SJ Kasur they want to be complainant E T no rumor mongering please
@ Amjad Hussain Gilgit, Yes brother I know. They have turned down the death penalty in order to accelerate these kind of activities in Pakistan. If these kind of guys are punished, then it will never ever happen in Pakistan.
@Raj - USA: Obviously!!!!!
Nothing will happen to them. Everyone knows it.
@ Abdullah, can Pakistani judges provide justice as asked by you??? You see eventually culprits will be released and declare as innocent
Due course of law should take place. However, once found guilty, they should be burnt in the same kiln. The precedence is the case of Javed Iqbal, who was dissolved in acid as he used to do to his victims (children that he kidnapped).
Dear Judges, Give them same kind of death publically as they did for the couple.
Make an example out of these culprits so no one in future can miss use this law and manipulate the illiterate masses.