"Blasphemous" man burned alive: Bishops call for intervention
July 06, 2012: Ghulam Abbas, a man accused of blasphemy was burnt alive by an angry
mob of radical Islamists outside the police station of Chani Ghoth, in the town of
Bahawalpur in the province of Punjab. As confirmed by local sources of Fides, the
man, probably a mentally ill Muslim, was arrested a few days ago following a complaint
of alleged blasphemy, with the charge of having burned pages of the Koran. Some local
religious leaders were inciting the crowd who yesterday poured into the streets and
then broke into the offices of the police, injuring about 15 agents. The radicals
forced the cell door, pulled out the prisoner, poured gasoline over him and burned
alive. Some police vehicles were set ablaze in a riot that lasted about two hours.
The
incident strongly shook civil society in Pakistan, bringing to light the knotty question
of the abuse of the blasphemy law. Peter Jacob, executive Secretary of the Commission
"Justice and Peace" of the Episcopal Conference of Pakistan, told Fides: "We are verifying
the facts and circumstances of such a serious and unheard incident. It is a truly
execrable fact. Violence has increased, even one that takes religion as an excuse.
To eliminate a human life, the more so in a court, is always unacceptable. What worries
us is impunity, lawlessness, freedom of those who can take the law into their own
hands, killing with impunity. Institutions such as Parliament and the Judiciary, must
do their part. We call for greater attention to the new Prime Minister, so that respect
for human rights in Pakistan is always taken into consideration". The Commission reports
to Fides that, in 2012, two Muslims and one Christian have been killed out of court
on charges of blasphemy. Other NGOs like "Masihi Foundation" and "Life for All",
have strongly condemned the incident as a "barbaric and inhumane act." In a statement
sent to Fides, they reiterate that there is an "abuse of the blasphemy law" and calls
on the authorities to act "against lawlessness and brutality," because "nobody is
above the law." NGOs call for the intervention of the President of the Supreme Court
to "ensure the rule of law in the Country."