Pakistan: Blasphemy charges filed against Chichawatni man for Facebook posts
Sep 23, 2024
Sahiwal [Pakistan], September 23 : The Pakistan Police have filed an FIR against a 25-year-old man from Chichawatni on blasphemy charges related to his Facebook posts.
The case was initiated following a complaint from Shamsul Hasan, an assistant sub-inspector at the Saddar Police Station in Chichawatni, on Saturday night. The suspect, residing in Chak 107/12-L, had previously worked for the Senate in Islamabad but was dismissed from his position, Dawn reported.
The FIR, filed under Section 295 (C) of the PPC and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, alleges that the suspect posted hate material against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The document references four separate posts in which derogatory comments about revered figures in Islam were made.
Reports indicate that ASIs Shams and Imran Hyder, along with Constable Muddasir Jahangir and driver Wakeel Ahmed, were on a routine patrol near the Lower Bari Doab Canal in Chak 107/12-L when they discovered the suspect's Facebook account containing the offensive posts.
The police have taken screenshots of these posts and stored them on a USB drive. Although they were unable to arrest the suspect at that time, ASP Maazur Rehman assured that apprehension would occur soon, reported Dawn.
The suspect, who is married with three children, had taken the Senate job after his father, who previously worked there as a clerk, passed away. Currently, he is evading capture and was not present in the village when the case was filed.
DPO Faisal Shahzad reported that the police have taken the suspect's family into custody and relocated them to a secure location. He confirmed that seven blasphemy cases have been registered in district Sahiwal this year alone.
Pakistan's blasphemy laws have drawn frequent criticism from international human rights organizations for being overly broad and often misused, leading to mob violence and extrajudicial killings.
Despite these concerns, the Pakistani government has yet to take significant steps toward reforming or repealing these laws, viewed by many as tools of oppression rather than justice.
