Christian Brothers in Pakistan Acquitted of Blasphemy
Sahil Shahid and Raheel Shahid (heart) after launch with protection staff on Jan. 25, 2025. (Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information)
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Every day Worldwide–Morning Star Information) – A court docket in Pakistan on Saturday (Jan. 25) acquitted Christian twin brothers of a false blasphemy accusation because the prosecution didn’t show fees towards them, their legal professional stated.
Kasur Further Classes Decide Farzana Shahzad ordered that 18-year-olds Sahil Shahid (often called Kalu) and Raheel Shahid (often called Tabish), be launched from jail after their protection staff proved they’d been falsely charged and that police had didn’t correctly examine, stated legal professional Javed Sahotra.
Throughout cross-examination of eight witnesses, together with the investigating officer and the complainant, Sahotra requested if any of them might determine which quranic passage or verses had allegedly been desecrated by the brothers of Qulay Wala village in Kasur District, Punjab Province.
“Neither the IO nor some other witness was ready to reply to my query, which reveals that the proof that they’d submitted towards the brothers had been fabricated,” Sahotra advised Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “Admitting my arguments, the honorable decide ordered the discharge of the twins and issued a discover to the Kasur district police officer to start out an inquiry towards the IO for conducting a weak investigation.”
Sahotra stated he argued that Inspector Muhammad Saleem of Kasur Saddar Police Station was not certified to research the case.
“Although Saleem is serving as an inspector, he has solely obtained increased secondary training and is unable to learn or perceive the Arabic language,” he stated.
The twins have been launched from jail and have reunited with their household, he added.
The protection staff additionally knowledgeable the court docket that the brothers had been falsely charged with the purpose of instilling concern in Christians and forcing them to go away the village.
“We imagine that this case was a conspiracy towards the Christian residents in order that vested pursuits might seize their land and properties,” Sahotra stated. “Nonetheless, well timed intervention of the police and our profitable protection of the victims scuttled their nefarious designs.”
The Shahid brothers have been arrested and charged with blasphemy on Aug. 27 after they have been accused of tearing pages of the Quran. Desecrating the Quran carries a life sentence in Muslim-majority Pakistan, however intent have to be confirmed for a conviction.
The complainant, Ghulam Mustafa, alleged within the First Info Report (FIR) that on Aug. 26 the brothers had desecrated quranic pages at a neighborhood village truthful.
The brothers are illiterate and belong to a poor household, rights activist Sajid Christopher beforehand advised Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information, including that relations surrendered them to police after officers took their mom and an uncle into custody.
Blasphemy Regulation Amendments Urged
Expressing alarm over a rise in false blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, the U.N. Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) on Nov. 7 urged repeal or amending of the nation’s broadly condemned blasphemy legal guidelines.
The committee famous that false blasphemy accusations led to Islamist mob violence and advisable amending the legal guidelines in accordance with necessities of the Worldwide Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In its concluding observations of the committee’s second periodic report on Pakistan, it said concern over sections 295 and 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carry extreme penalties, together with the loss of life penalty, and have a disproportionate affect on spiritual minorities.
“Additionally it is involved in regards to the growing variety of individuals incarcerated beneath blasphemy fees, the excessive variety of blasphemy instances based mostly on false accusations, violence towards these accused of blasphemy, fostering vigilante justice, and allegations of entrapment of individuals, specifically younger individuals, on accusations of on-line blasphemy beneath cybercrime legal guidelines,” the committee said.
It emphasised ending use of cybercrime legal guidelines, such because the Prevention of Digital Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, to prosecute and detain these accused of breaching blasphemy legal guidelines on-line. The committee additionally urged the federal government to research allegations of huge abuse of blasphemy legal guidelines in reference to cybercrime legal guidelines and publish the outcomes of the inquiries.
“[The committee] can also be involved in regards to the chilling impact that felony defamation legal guidelines, blasphemy, sedition and counter-terrorism legal guidelines, and different lately handed laws have on the train of freedom of expression by journalists, activists, human rights defenders and members of ethnic and non secular minorities,” it said.
Urging Pakistan to take all vital measures to ensure immediate and truthful trials for all individuals charged with blasphemy or different offenses towards faith, the committee highlighted jail situations, stating that it was “additionally involved about reviews of abuse of girls prisoners, together with sexual violence, and that people accused of blasphemy are sometimes positioned in solitary confinement for prolonged durations of time. It stays involved in regards to the widespread recourse to extended pretrial detention.”
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Record of essentially the most troublesome locations to be a Christian.
If you need to assist persecuted Christians, go to https://morningstarnews.org/assets/aid-agencies/ for a listing of organizations that may orient you on learn how to get entangled.
If you happen to or your group wish to assist allow Morning Star Information to proceed elevating consciousness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please contemplate collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?
###
© 2025 Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. Articles/images could also be reprinted with credit score to Christian Every day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. https://morningstarnews.org
Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/
Fb: https://www.fb.com/MorningStarNews
Morning Star Information is a 501(c)(3) non-profit company that depends solely on contributions to supply authentic information reviews of persecuted Christians. By offering dependable information on the struggling church, Morning Star Information’ mission is to empower these within the free world to assist and to encourage persecuted Christians that they don’t seem to be forgotten or alone. Free of charge subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, go to https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or ship examine to Morning Star Information, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Seaside, CA 92624, USA.
The put up Christian Brothers in Pakistan Acquitted of Blasphemy appeared first on Morningstar Information.
