Muslim clerics refuse to accept organisers’ apology. PHOTO: REUTERS
Officials said the men had been arrested after police noticed posters marking the 20th death anniversary of Fazal Masih that used an Urdu word for prophet to refer to the deceased. “We have arrested three men, including the son of the priest, because they used the word to describe Fazal Masih,” police official Shahid Tanveer said. He said local Muslim clerics and Christian elders had been summoned to a police station to solicit their counsel on the issue.
Tanveer said the organisers of the event had tendered an apology and asked to be forgiven. The official said they had explained that they had used the word to celebrate the services of the deceased priest. Tanveer said the Muslim clerics had refused to accept the apology. He said the organisers had been booked under anti-terrorism laws.
The official said three men had been arrested while 11 others had been absconding. Tanveer did not explain what charges had been levelled.
The legislation is often used in high-profile cases as it provides access to a fast-track trial process. Christians, who constitute around two per cent of the nation’s Muslim-majority population of 180 million, have been increasingly targeted in connection with alleged instances of blasphemy.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a blasphemy convict’s appeal against her death sentence. Aasia Bibi, a mother-of-five, has been on death row since 2010 after being convicted of making blasphemous remarks. Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in the nation with unproven allegations often prompting mob violence.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2015.
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