Christian girl in Pakistan acquitted in blasphemy case
A young Christian girl in Pakistan was on Tuesday acquitted of the charge of blasphemy
after being accused of burning a Koran. She had been accused by a Muslim cleric, who
was later himself accused of fabricating evidence in the case. The court dismissed
all charges against the girl, who had been freed on bail in September, and is currently
in hiding with her family.
“It is a great sense of satisfaction,” said Paul
Bhatti, the Special Adviser to the Pakistani Prime Minister for National Harmony.
“We are sure this [decision] will give a strong message to the community.”
Pakistan’s
blasphemy laws can carry the death penalty, and are disproportionately used against
religious minorities. Paul Bhatti’s brother, Minister for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz
Bhatti, was murdered in March 2011 by Islamist terrorists after he opposed the country’s
blasphemy laws.