By Emanuel Adil Ghouri
According to reports regarding the unfortunate incident in Sargodha, Nazr Masih—accused of reciting the Holy Quran—is undergoing treatment at a local hospital in critical condition. The concerned police station registered case number 24/435 under Sections 295-A and 295-B against the accused, Lazar Masih, who is struggling between life and death, at 7 a.m. on the same day. Meanwhile, a case of terrorism or attempted murder was registered against those who brutally tortured the accused and burned his house and factory—but only after a delay of twenty‑four hours. This attitude of the police is clear proof of the difference in importance placed on the minority and the majority.
My heart and mind are completely unable to accept that a Christian can commit the crime of insulting the Holy Quran. God forbid, even if someone recklessly dares to commit such an impure act, there is a law under which the accused can be arrested and brought before a court for punishment. Yet without verifying whether the accusation is true, or whether the accuser has personal motives behind it, mobs burn down Christian settlements, demolish churches, and often extrajudicially kill the accused. Seeing this Sargodha incident reminds me of other tragedies. A few years ago in Kasur, a Christian couple, Shama and Shahzad, were burned alive after being accused of blasphemy. How can it now be proven whether they were guilty or innocent—or whether the true sinner was the one who burned two innocent people alive? I believe the punishment was not given to Shama and Shahzad, but to their innocent children, who were robbed of their parents and their childhood and are now living orphaned lives in the homes of younger relatives.
Similarly, the burning of the body of Parantha Kumar in Sialkot brought Pakistan disrepute across the world. The provocative individuals involved in such incidents accomplish nothing for the uplift of religion; instead, they damage the country’s reputation internationally. When Lazarus’s factory was being set on fire, some people were enthusiastically fueling the flames, while others were busy taking shoes from boxes and searching for their preferred style and size. This clearly indicates the strength of their faith.
The blasphemy law is not new. It existed even when the British ruled the Indian subcontinent. However, the cases were not as severe as they are today. Only after many years would a case be registered. Most developed countries in the world today—including the United States and nations in Europe—have blasphemy laws, but the number of cases is negligible. In contrast, dozens of blasphemy cases are registered in Pakistan every year. In 2023 alone, five blasphemy cases were registered in Sargodha within two months. If an investigation had been conducted before this unfortunate incident to determine the forces behind these cases, perhaps this tragedy would not have occurred.
Whenever such an incident happens, the government attempts to console Christians, including through political and religious leaders, but no permanent solution is found. As a result, a new tragedy emerges after some time.
To make the blasphemy law more effective and transparent, it is necessary to add that if the plaintiff fails to prove his charges, he should receive the same punishment prescribed under these provisions, so that no one can misuse the law for personal gain. There have been many cases in which the prosecution failed to prove the charges, yet the accused remained in jail for many years despite being innocent. Not only they, but their families also suffered greatly.
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