Islamabad: A Pakistani court dismissed on Tuesday a blasphemy case against a Christian girl which had drawn international condemnation and concern about the rights of religious minorities in the predominantly Muslim country. Rimsha Masih, believed to be no older than 14, was charged with burning pages of the Quran in August but was granted bail in September after a cleric was detained on suspicion of planting evidence to stir up resentment against Christians.
Masih's lawyer, Tahir Naveed, said the Islamabad High Court's decision to throw out the case was based on the fact that no one had seen her burning pages of the Quran. The case provoked international concern and she could, in theory, have faced execution under Pakistan's blasphemy law despite her age and reported mental problems.
Muslims consider the Quran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence. Desecration is considered one of the worst forms of blasphemy. The blasphemy law enjoys widespread support among ordinary Pakistanis even though critics say it is often abused by people involved in disputes or against members of religious minorities.
Over the past two years, two senior government officials who had suggested reform of the law were shot dead, one by his own bodyguard. Lawyers threw rose petals at the killer and the judge who convicted him was forced to flee the country. The number of blasphemy cases brought under the law is rising. Since 1987, there have been almost 250 cases, according to the
01:29 PM, Nov 20, 2012
Islamabad: The three men who had accused a cleric of tampering evidence to implicate young Christian girl Rimsha Masih in a blasphemy case on Monday withdrew their statement, claiming they were tortured by police to testify against the imam. The three witnesses, who had earlier recorded statements against cleric Khalid Chishti, submitted a fresh statement in the court of a district and sessions judge in Islamabad that said police had...
04:00 PM, Oct 01, 2012
Islamabad: The teenage girl accused of burning pages of the Quran has been released on bail and is now back with her family. But she still fears for her life. 14-year-old Rimsha Mahsee said, "Yes, I'm scared. I'm scared scared that someone might kill me. I'm scared of anyone who might want to kill us." That fear first came last month in Rimsha's neighborhood when she was accused of burning...
12:24 PM, Sep 12, 2012
Rawalpindi: A young Christian girl accused of burning pages of Islam's holy book was freed on Saturday from a jail near the capital where she had been held for three weeks, a Pakistani jail official said. The release a day after a judge granted her bail is another step closer to ending an episode that has focused an uncomfortable spotlight on Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws, which can result in life...
08:31 PM, Sep 08, 2012
New Delhi: The Pakistani Christian girl, who was arrested on charges of blasphemy, was on Friday released against a bond of Rs 5 lakh. Rimsha Masih, a patient of Down's Syndrome, was accused by the cleric of a mosque in Islamabad of tearing the pages of the Quran. The court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge, where a two-and-a-half-hour-long hearing on Friday morning was marked by noisy arguments between...
01:41 PM, Sep 07, 2012
Islamabad: In a new twist to the blasphemy case involving a minor Christian girl, an imam in the Pakistani capital was arrested and remanded to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday for allegedly planting pages of the Quran in her bag and using it to implicate her under the controversial law. Khalid Chishti, the prayer leader of Jamia Aminia mosque in the low-income Mehria Jaffar neighbourhood of Islamabad, was arrested on...
07:38 PM, Sep 02, 2012
Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Friday extended by a fortnight the judicial remand of a minor Christian girl arrested on a charge of blasphemy. Rimsha Masih, who was arrested from the low-income Mehria Jaffar area on the outskirts of Islamabad on August 16, was produced in the court of a judicial magistrate amidst tight security. The girl was presented before the judicial magistrate following the expiry of her remand. The...
01:54 PM, Aug 31, 2012
New Delhi: A Christian teenager in Pakistan who was arrested on blasphemy charges will be produced in juvenile justice court in Islamabad on Thursday. Doctors had earlier examined her and confirmed that she is minor but 14 years old and not 11 as claimed by her family. The girl was arrested after locals protested outside her house claiming she had burnt religious documents. One cleric has appealed that she be...
09:50 AM, Aug 29, 2012
Islamabad: A minor Christian girl arrested on a blasphemy charge in Islamabad continues to be held in a high-security jail despite her case being taken up by Pakistan's ruling PPP. Hundreds of Christian families fled Mohalla Badyal in the low-income Mehria Jaffar area on the outskirts of Islamabad following Rimsha Masih's arrest on August 16 after she was accused by Muslims of burning pages of the Quran. A mob beat...
04:43 PM, Aug 25, 2012
Pakistani authorities on Monday arrested an 11-year-old Christian girl with Downs' Syndrome after her neighbours claimed that she burnt pages of the Quran. ...
10:48 AM, Aug 21, 2012
