LAHORE, Pakistan — An Islamist gang trapped greater than 450 folks in false blasphemy expenses in recent times in Pakistan, together with 5 who have been tortured loss of life in custody, in accordance with human rights attorneys.
The “blasphemy business group” has devastated quite a few households with the collusion of federal investigators, stated attorneys Usman Warraich, Imaan Hazir-Mazari and Rana Abdul Hameed at a press convention on Jan. 10 within the federal capital of Islamabad. As frequent targets of blasphemy accusations, Christians in Pakistan are at critical danger of being victimized by the group.
The Islamist group shares blasphemous content material on-line after which recordsdata false expenses, blackmailing the households of these accused for big sums of cash, the attorneys stated, citing a report by the Particular Department of the Punjab Police final 12 months that pinpointed an organized gang behind the current surge in blasphemy instances.
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A separate report by the Nationwide Fee for Human Rights (NCHR) in October that endorses the police findings particulars how harmless folks have been being entrapped with the energetic involvement of officers of the Federal Investigation Company (FIA), the rights attorneys stated.
The NCHR report highlighted that many of the victims belonged to lower-income or middle-class ranges. Greater than 150 victims of the “blasphemy racket” are being held in Adiala District Jail; 170 in District Camp Jail and Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore; and 55 in Karachi Central Jail, Warraich stated.
The gang has recruited younger women and men who befriended folks on social media and lured them to a “safe-house” within the G-8 Sector of Islamabad, he stated.
“Several young victims honey-trapped by this gang have revealed that when they came to the said house, they were stripped naked and tortured by the gang members who also videotaped their ordeal,” Warraich stated. “There are about 25 to 30 people associated with this gang who became plaintiffs after trapping youths from all over Pakistan. Each plaintiff is involved in trapping more than 20 youths.”
5 Muslims, together with a 22-year-old girl, Fatima Jahangir, have been subjected to inhumane torture that finally led to their tragic deaths, he stated.
“An orphan boy named Syed Ali Hasnain was killed in Adiala Jail. A young man from Rawalpindi, Syed Abdullah Shah, was tortured and murdered by this group in collaboration with the FIA,” Warraich stated. “Fatima Jahangir died in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore, while another 22-year-old boy, Safeer Ullah, lost his life in Camp Jail, Lahore.”
One other youth named Suhan Khan was tortured to loss of life in Karachi Central Jail inside three to 4 days, he stated, including that the Islamist gang publicly celebrates every time a courtroom denies bail or convicts a sufferer.
“Celebrations include distributing sweets, garlanding members, and gifting swords to each other, and the videos are widely circulated on social media,” the lawyer stated. “They also share the names and addresses of the victim families and their lawyers on social media to intimidate them.”
After courts convict the victims, Islamic leaders make bulletins towards them within the mosques of their respective neighborhoods to incite native residents towards their households, he stated.
Throughout proceedings, the Islamist group harasses the victims’ households and shouts slogans within the courtroom to stress judges to convict the harmless, he added.
Supreme Courtroom Advocate Rana Abdul Hameed, who represented Shagufta Kiran, a Christian girl who was sentenced to loss of life on Sept. 18 in a blasphemy case filed by a member of the Islamist gang, stated that the false instances have raised critical questions in regards to the integrity of Pakistan’s authorized system.
“These cases are not only baseless but also a stain on the judiciary,” Hameed stated, criticizing the federal government and judiciary for his or her silence.
Elaborating on the operations of the blasphemy enterprise group, Hameed described it as a profit-driven syndicate with an purpose to instill worry and exploit households.
Hazir-Mazari, a outstanding human rights lawyer, stated on the press convention that there’s a systemic failure to handle false instances of blasphemy in Pakistan.
“The courts, except in Sindh Province, lack the courage to hear these cases,” she stated. “This silence is a significant impediment to justice.”
Hazir-Mazari stated she regretted that a whole bunch of individuals have been languishing in prisons on fabricated blasphemy expenses.
Relations of among the victims additionally addressed the media, revealing how the gang recordsdata blasphemy instances utilizing faux addresses and intimidates them with threats to extort cash. Saeeda Bibi, mom of a visually impaired Muslim falsely charged with blasphemy, Muhammad Zamzam, shared how he was mistreated by FIA officers and arrested in a false case in Lahore regardless of FIA officers demanding a bribe of 100,000 rupees ($360 USD).
“When we received the FIA notice, I took my son to the authorities myself to prove his innocence, as he is blind in both eyes,” Bibi stated. “However, instead of being treated fairly, the FIA demanded money, but even after we paid them the bribe, they did not release my son.”
The attorneys and victims’ households stated that regardless of elevating these issues to varied authorities authorities, nothing has been achieved to guard folks.
“We have brought this matter to the attention of the president’s office, prime minister’s office, chief justice of Pakistan, Cabinet Division, Director General FIA, Ministry of Human Rights, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Law and Justice and leadership of all mainstream political parties, but none of them has taken any action yet,” they stated in a press release.
They demanded that the federal authorities type an impartial investigative fee in gentle of the experiences submitted by the police and NCHR. Additionally they demanded that every one proceedings in these instances be halted till the investigations are concluded, and that these accountable be held accountable.
“We also urge the judiciary to ensure fair trial of the victims and take legal measures to curb the contemptuous behavior of the members of the blasphemy business group in courtrooms,” they demanded.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doorways’ 2024 World Watch Record of probably the most troublesome locations to be a Christian, because it was the earlier 12 months.
This text was initially printed at Christian Each day Worldwide–Morning Star Information
“Well bless their hearts.”
