LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Sahiwal sent a Christian man on 14-day judicial remand in a case of desecration of Holy Quran.

Okara City A-Division police had registered a case under section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 9 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 against Chand alias Chanda Masih on behalf of the state.

According to the FIR, the suspect was hurling threats at his brother and sister to set the Holy Quran on fire over a domestic issue to implicate them in blasphemy. “I will burn the Holy Quran and the Muslims will approach him (his brother) and his family and kill them,” the FIR quotes the suspect as saying.

The police arrested the suspect last Monday and presented him before an ATC in Sahiwal on Tuesday to seek his physical remand to complete the investigation. However, the ATC sent the suspect to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

Okara District Police Officer (DPO) Tariq Aziz told Dawn that the sister of the suspect had contracted marriage with a relative who had converted to Islam.

The suspect threatened his sister that he would desecrate the Holy Quran and falsely implicate her and her husband in blasphemy if she did not end the marriage.

He said the police arrested the suspect, who confessed to having threatened his sister and her husband with desecration of the Holy Quran and a case was registered against him.

He said the incident took place late on Saturday night, adding that the security of all the churches in the district would be increased during Sunday prayers.

The DPO said that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. He said the suspect had been sent on a 14-day judicial remand by an ATC three days ago.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.