89 citizens killed over blasphemy allegations since 1947: report – Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD: As many as 89 citizens have been killed in 1,415 blasphemy charges and cases in the country since independence, a think tank said on Tuesday.

The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in a report said that from 1947 to 2021, 18 women and 71 men were extrajudicially killed on blasphemy charges. The allegations were made against 107 women and 1,308 men.

Of the total, 1,287 citizens were accused of committing blasphemy between 2011 and 21. “The actual number would be higher because not all cases of blasphemy are reported in the press,” the report said, adding that more 70% of the accused were reported from Punjab.

The data showed that 55 cases were filed in the Islamabad Capital Territory, more than the blasphemy cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir combined.

Additionally, 1,098 cases have been reported in Punjab, followed by 177 from Sindh, 33 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 from Balochistan and 11 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The report says the misuse of blasphemy laws is often described by courts as an illegal act. He said the High Court in Islamabad had previously suggested the legislature amend existing laws to similarly punish those who make false accusations of blasphemy.

The debate over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and their socio-political consequences ranges from ‘people who disrespect Islam must be punished’ to ‘people are falsely accused of settling personal scores’.

Part of society calls for a review of blasphemy laws to prevent and discourage its abuse.

At the same time, almost always, the murderers claim that the victims who have committed an unforgivable religious crime are “wajibul qatal”, a highly controversial term that loosely translates to “worthy of death”.

The report examines blasphemy-related violence as reported in secondary sources such as newspapers and identifies victims, perpetrators, the role of law enforcement and the number of charges.

The state maintains that those who commit murder in the name of blasphemy are summarily arrested, charged, and prosecuted.

The report says the origin of blasphemy laws can be traced back to the British era when they were enacted in 1860.

Initially, four blasphemy laws – sections 295, 296, 297 and 298 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) – were introduced and in 1927 section 295 was supplemented by 295A after the case of Ilmuddin, a carpenter Muslim, who killed Mahashe Rajpal for publishing a blasphemous book.

Posted in Dawn, January 26, 2022

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