October 02, 2012: The High Court in Islamabad has adjourned until 17 October the
trial against Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl falsely charged with blasphemy. According
to a medical report, the 14-year-old suffers from a mental handicap. Thanks to the
work of lawyers, prosecutors and Pakistani government, she was released on 7 September
on bail. However, the case has taken an unexpected turn. The three men who accuse
Imam Khalid Jadoon Chishti of burning pages of the Qur'an to frame Rimsha in order
to expel the Christian community where she lived have now retracted, claiming they
were subjected to police pressures and threats.
The legal case against the
Christian girl is getting more complicated. She could still be dragged through the
courts for a long time, despite appeals by Christian and civil society leaders to
have the case against her dropped immediately because of her innocence. The trial
was postponed until 17 October because a lawyer for the prosecution was out of town
on other matters. The court accepted the request for postponement.
The three
witnesses who testified against Imam Khalid Jadoon Chishti have retracted. Initially,
they had said that the latter had tried to frame Rimsha Masih in order to expel the
Christian community where she lived, The Express News reported. Citing the three men,
the paper said they made the false accusations under "pressure" from the police. The
three men who spoke out against the imam are Hafiz Zubair, a muezzin, and Hafiz Awais
and Khurram Shahzad. Now all three claim they were tortured to give false testimony
to frame Imam Jadoon.
Police recently filed a report on the Rimsha Masih case,
saying there was no evidence or witness against her. She was arrested on 16 August
on the basis of the 'black law,' allegedly for burning pages of a textbook, Noorani
Qaida, which contains passages from the Qur'an and is used to teach the basics of
Arabic and the Muslim holy book.
In reality, Imam Khalid Jadoon Chishti (who
is currently in custody waiting for trial) is thought to have placed the burnt pages
in the bin where the girl had thrown some garbage. His goal was to spark anti-Christian
violence that would have forced Christians to abandon their homes and property.
Since
Rimsha was released on 8 September, she and her family have lived in a secret location
for fear of reprisal and personal revenge.