Guilty till proven innocent: family of ‘blasphemer’ lives in trauma
Police officers escorting a detained man. — Photo by AP/File
CHAKWAL, Aug 31: The scene in front of the court of Additional District and Session Judge Chakwal on Wednesday captured the divides that blasphemy cases bring with them.
Squatting under a tree on the premises of the district courts, Fauzia, 14, could hardly control her tears.
Misery, fear and distress were written large on her face. Nearby her mother and grandmother wept silently as her 10-year-old brother Aon spoke with their father, a blasphemy accused, sitting in the lock-up.
Another group of six men in the veranda were desperately discussing the case, trying to find a ray of hope.
Far away in a distant lawn, the mood was the exact opposite: a crowd of 25-30 men, most of them religious clerics were in high spirits.
Fauzia’s father had worked as a primary school teacher in tehsil Talagang of Chakwal district before he was booked on the charges of blasphemy under sections 295-C and 298-A of the Pakistan Penal Code on November 17, 2011.
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Raja Pervez Akhtar adjourned the hearing till September 4 after getting the witnesses’ account. The court has also summoned SP Yahiya Virk who conducted the inquiry.
The primary school teacher life changed forever when he went out to refuel his motorbike on November 2, 2011.
On his arrival at a local filling station, he was inadvertently drawn into a debate on the interpretation of conjugal rights granted under Islam.
Little did he know that his differing interpretation on the matter would irk those present. Just two weeks later Naseer Ahmad, a villager, had moved an application against him for committing blasphemy before Saddar Police Station of Talagang.
The local clergy too picked up the matter and started instigating the public against him: the teacher was declared a “malaun” (the condemned) and a fatwa was issued against him.
He was eventually arrested by the police and sent to a lock-up in Jhelum Prison.
For the last 10 months, the blasphemy accused has seen a stormy trial.
Every time his case would be heard by the Additional District and Session Judge Talagang Rana Zahoor, a swarm of clerics would descend on the court premises.
Eventually, his attorney Azad Hussain had to request the judge to transfer the case to Chakwal.
Meanwhile, his two children, wife, mother and other family members live in severe trauma. In fact, the local clerics find them guilty by association.
The blasphemy accused brothers were barred from pursuing the case and threatened with dire consequences. It was only when another community member, Azad Hussain, stepped in that the accused found himself an attorney.
Later, Qari Banaras, the Imam of the village mosque, in his Friday sermons urged the villagers to boycott the family.
“We are not allowed to speak to any villager neither are we allowed to attend the funerals and marriages of other villagers even of our close relatives,” lamented Ghulam Ali Qasim, the younger brother of the primary school teacher.
A couple of weeks ago when the father-in-law of another brother passed away, Qasim claims he was not allowed to offer the funeral prayers.
“My brother went to attend the funeral prayer but he was thrown out of the row on the order of the imam,” revealed Qasim.
“We are spending a highly miserable life fraught with panic and fear as we are being given life threats by the clerics,” moaned Kalsoom, the blasphemy accused’s wife.
She further told Dawn that she had sold her goat and a cow, the only two animals at the house, to fight for her husband.
“I’m not even allowed to meet my parents in the village,” Kalsoom narrated as tears flowed down her eyes.
Fauzia recently passed her ninth grade exams, but told Dawn that her friends have stopped talking to her because of the clerics.
“No girl at school talks to me,” she said while weeping.
“I want to be a doctor but now I’m unable to read due to misery and panic caused by the arrest of my father,” she added.
When contacted, the complainant Naseer Ahmad said that he did not want to give any comment as the matter was in the court.
On the other hand, Qari Banaras had an interesting reply when his attention was drawn to the plight of the blasphemy accused’s family.
“His wife should live with her parents as she lost the authority to live with her husband after he committed blasphemy,” he maintained.
It may be mentioned here that in Talagang, the counsel of every complainant in every case of blasphemy is Advocate Tariq Mehmood.
“Allah has chosen me to fight such cases against the condemned people,” he told Dawn.
Travelling backwards, we ahve entered medival tiems and are heading for dark ages.
Why is it that Imams exert so much influence?
Are they in their own crude way filling up a vacuum created by a pathetic govt?
Remember, religion is the poor man’s opium
At least among the people who are writing these comments, the emotions are so high against mullah ism and extremism. This is still not bringing about any change. I wonder why!
a Muslim accused of blasphemy for interpretation that differs from those of others? Are mullahs going to file charges against different sects entirely for their own interpretation of Islamic matters? are these elements of Islam proving benevolent? what’s is next? complete wiping off minorities? I don’t think they’d stop even then
Sad story…may Allah forgive us and give all of us hidaya. Amin!
We keep wishing for democracy to survive in our country; but, as long as religion is intertwined with the state , Democracy is not possible. Ignorance and manipulation by the Mullahs is disastrous. Anyone who objects to their policies is called a traitor and risks dangerous repercussion . Are we the rest of us cowards or simply hypocrites that we dare not collectively stop them from ruining our country. On a recent business trip to Canada I was forced to hide my face because I could not justify the actions of our state, judiciary, Awam, police and most of all the religious leaders. We have to take a stand and stop this injustice.
So,who is going to deal with the Imam who have set this poor Christian girl for blasphemy.
Who of the faith will deal with him and how.
He has committed the most egregious assault on Islam of blasphemy by burning Koran Sharif.
Lets release this poor girl now.
Forgive Us God for the pain we are causing to humanity.
Hope Dawn will not hold back my comments this time.
Ameen
A test case in Islamabad has just started and would decide which way Pakistan heads.There are credit worthy witness and a speedy deliverance of Justice is urgently needed.
Pakistan will be better off if religion is separated from government and people are free to practice religion the way they want. That is called religious freedom. Anybody obstructing such freedom, or interfering with any other person’s belief belongs in jail.
This is precisely what the founder of the country had said in his famous speech but the country and the religion has been hijacked since.
No this is precisely what the Great Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad had warned your myopic head of state about when he had claimed that people of different faiths could not live together and therefore establishment of Pakistan was a necessity. Maulana had predicted such violence against not just minoritis but against all citizens of Pakistan. But a majority of Muslims did not hear the words of reason but instead followed the false prophet that was Jinnah. Time to pay up. Look at the curriculum article in this newspaper. I am a Muslim from India and could not be happier that I live and breathe in a free country. It is not perfect but we are on the right track more or less. You are not. Reap what you have sown since 1947.
I tend to agree with Anwar Sadat. By creating Pakistan as a separate country, a seed of hatred and prejudice was sown. In some ways, Muslims in India would be better off by staying together in one country. The number of Muslims in India is more than the total population of Pakistan. I believe they have better life than in Pakistan. If all Muslims were in India, they would have higher percentage and better representation.
There are other problems that Muslims would not have, which they have now in Pakistan: 1) The leadership would be better than the present feudalism in Pakistan, 2)There would be better governance and no extremism and terrorism from which the people of Pakistan are suffering today, 3) People’s lives will be safer.
The only people who have benefitted from the partioning of India are the feudals of Pakistan. They have the free reign and are free to rule and loot.There are muslims here in USA from India, who complain much less than muslims from Pakistan. The bottem line is the quality of life of ourselves and our children. Every thing else is secondary. If we set aside the prejudices, life does become simpler and more enjoyable. “Life is too precious to waste in hating others.”
With due respect, even your understanding of religion seems distorted and at an opposite extreme end as that of the semi clerics in pakistan. What is currently happening is because there is no freedom of frank and honest debate on religion and religious practices which we should be promoting and lack of such debate is resulting in to this extremely illiterate clergy. I’m aware that a significant number of people have views similar to you but your suggestion would create permanent segregation in society and a phobia towards religion rather than faciliating corrective measures…
Your comment is not understood.
shame shame ….people who stopped evolving to empathise. shame pakistan.
unfortunate, unbeilevable. sorry for the family – where is the individual, democratic right?
Who ever is reading this article whether u will published it or not. I want to tell u one thing u people are getting the whole world to hate u’ll muslims, the whole world is getting a bad impressions on islam and the muslims. If u’ll continue to persecute people for blasphemy then what ever is happeneing in mayanmar today is because the muslim deserve it. Whoever is reading this is a muslim and he should get the point. U’ll are real pigs and ur religion does not teach peace it only teaches violence. shame on u’ll muslims.
This is pure insanity in the name of religion by ignorant people of an unfortunate country. Illiteracy and intolerance can ruin any nation as seen in the case of Pakistan.
Is Pak is a country or land of nightmares allover
All educated pakistanis should come forward and fight the extremism, and illiteracy. Because of this case of basphemy against innocent child, Pakistan’s image is going down the hill. This innocent girl should be free and also Goverment should compensate for the suffering she went through.
Zardari, Nawaz and other politicians are responsible for all this mess. They need to be jailed for these crimes.
Don’t you see how everyone is afraid to fight these clerics? Fighting back could get you killed or in jail for blasphemy. This is all suffocating Pakistan and until your government stands against those ‘blasphemy laws’ it will get worse. I had to edit this comment because I didn’t want to get you into trouble since I called the cleric a name. It wasn’t a swear, but the clerics wouldn’t like it. I hated the way it feels not being free to speak. Pakistan is not free due to all this and I think a lot of people know this – if they just look inside themselves.
Very sad to read it! What a plight for a family. I am obliged to ask : Now no human beings live in hole length and breadth of Pakistan? “hamne buton ke bande to dekhe, khuda ka banda ika bhi na milaa!” Otherwise a swarm of well wishers would have come to the rescue these people.
Lakshmidhar Malaviya
Kyoto, Japan
Sick people with sick mind. These clerics should be thrown in prison on charge of intimidating and violence. How Pakistan can progress with 6th century mindset. It is mind boggling to figure it out. If this is called Islamic state then it is better to live in gulaga,Then at least every body know they don’t have freedom of speech.
On other hand all those suicide bomber may be know that hell might be better than living in Pakistan.
While Christianity has moved on, somehow Islam seems to be stuck in its “dark ages”. If this goes on, it doesn’t bode well for the religion or your country’s image.
May God save this country from these religoius extremeists who are not ready to listen any thing different from their core beliefs.
Religion of peace and mercy?
Religion of peace and mercy? Hijacked by Mullas
Shame on all of you accusers. Such misrey you are causing in the name of islam.
Everyone is innocent unless proven guilty. Just because the Imam says you all like sheep coninue to shower misery on the family.
“Far away in a distant lawn, the mood was the exact opposite: a crowd of 25-30 men, most of them religious clerics were in high spirits.”
– fanaticism makes people mad…
Much paining..