Pakistan: Rights group condemns false blasphemy accusation on two Christian sisters

TOBA TEK SINGH: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) has "strongly" condemned blasphemy accusations against the two Christian sisters named Sonia Masih and Saima Masih. The incident took place in a village in Toba Tek Singh district of Pakistan.

HRFP President Naveed Walter expressed his deep concerns over the false accusation of Sonia Masih and Saima Masih and arrests with blasphemy allegations against all other Christians, according to a HRFP press release. He stressed that the new incidents have witnessed a rise and previous cases have been occurring for too long without any resolution.

"As like, last year, a horrific incident occurred in Jaranwala, where a violent mob set fire to and vandalized Churches and homes. Sadly, another incident just occurred in May 2024 where a mob allegedly violence to Nazir Masih and family, resulting in his tragic death," Naveed Walter stated in a press release.

"The Christians will never forget the tragic incidents in Gojra and Koriyaan in 2009 and in a same city an incident took place again where the Christian family has been attacked," he added.

He emphasised that this cycle of violence through false blasphemy accusations must come to an end. Naveed Walter stated that Christians don't feel safe and secure in Pakistan as they are a minority. He added that being a minority should not deprive anyone of their rights, according to HRFP press release.

Naveed Walter called on the government to prioritize the protection of minorities and accused the authorities of neglecting this issue, letting the perpetrators go unpunished while unfairly punishing innocent people as in the Jaranwala issue, where a Christian youth Ehsan Shan was accused and sentenced to death. However, the real perpetrators were released from prisons and let go without facing any consequences.

He further said, "It's time for the government to take decisive actions against real culprits and facilitators of Gojra's blasphemy accusation on two innocent sisters and bring justice to those who take the law into their own hands for the personal scores."

Naveed Walter said the HRFP team is working closely on Sonia Masih and Saima Masih's issue for more facts and helping with the provision of legal, and other immediate assistance and mentioned other recent issues, like the Mariam Bibi case of Sahiwal, who was abducted on June 7, 2024, when she was on a way to employer's house for her work as a housemaid.

Walter said that her father Rafique Masih visited the HRFP Office and shared details that Muhammad Hamza with facilitators took her to Faisalabad and he forcefully converted her to Islam and got married forcibly while she was already married to a Christian man, HRFP stated in a press release.

The accuser, Mohammad Haider, alleged that on August 6, he saw Sonia Masih putting trash in a bag and taking it to an empty area to dispose of it. He claimed to have seen pages of the Quran in the trash, along with a phone number and the name of Emma Faryad Gill on the pages.

In a statement, HRFP stated, "The accuser Haider Ali stated further that later, on next day on August 7, 2024, at 11:30 in the morning, he joined Hammad Ali and Khan Suba to visit the girls' house to investigate the matter. During this visit, Sonia's sister Saima Masih said some inappropriate things, which further reinforced the accuser's confidence that both sisters had committed the blasphemy."

"Haider Ali claimed that he displayed the pages also to the police that they had found as evidence. The First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at the local police station of Saddar Gojra with number 924/24," it added.

In the press release, HRFP also mentioned another such case of Sahiwal, where Natasha Razzaq, a 9th-grade student, was sexually abused, harassed and attacked by Muhammad Bilal on May 6, 2024.

It also said that Mariam Gulzar of Okara was abducted at gunpoint by Ali Raza, Mohammad Riaz, and others on April 17, who took them to Quetta. It said that Mariam Gulzar returned to home with a woman's help.

In another incident, Ali Azeem, Nabeel, and Atif tried to abduct Asia Bibi of Faisalabad's village on June 26, 2024, when she was returning from work to home. It said that she started screaming and was able to escape successfully from the abuse and abduction through someone's help.