A judge in Pakistan on June 12 acquitted a Christian of blasphemy and terrorism charges after the prosecution failed to prove its case against him, his lawyer said.
Attorney Kashif Nemat said Sahiwal District and Sessions Judge Zia Ullah Khan, who also presides over the anti-terrorism court of Sahiwal Division, ordered the acquittal of 28-year-old Farhan Javed Masih, who was arrested and charged under blasphemy and terrorism charges by Sahiwal’s Ghala Mandi police on Jan. 26 for allegedly speaking against Islam and the religion’s sacred figures.
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Police had registered a case against Masih under sections 295-A and 298-A of the blasphemy statutes and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act on the complaint of a local Muslim villager, Muhammad Bilal Khan, Nemat said.
“Masih, who developed mental illness due to excessive use of synthetic drugs, was entrapped in the false accusation by the complainant because his younger brother Jamal Khan was a friend of the Christian and they used to do drugs together,” Nemat told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Bilal Khan basically wanted to break their friendship, which is why he concocted the blasphemy allegation against Masih.”
Section 295-A calls for imprisonment of up to 10 years for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs; 298-A, with a punishment of up to 10 years in prison for disrespecting the wives and companions of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam; and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which includes a clause related to causing civil commotion or unrest and is punishable by a minimum five-year jail term.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
