Pakistani man accused of blasphemy dies in police custody

ASSIST News Service (ANS)
www.assistnews.net
September 15, 2009

Pakistani man accused of blasphemy dies in police custody

By Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram
SIALKOT, PAKISTAN(ANS) -- Robert, a Christian man who was arrested by the Pakistan police after blasphemy accusations were leveled against him on Friday, September 11. 2009, was found dead in police cell on Tuesday, September 15, ANS has learned.
The local police said the man accused of blasphemy had hung himself with the cord he pulled out from his Shalwar (trousers), though this being disputed by human rights workers in Pakistan.
The trouble began when angry Muslim residents of a village in the Punjab province of Pakistan had set to fire a church building on that Friday after Robert was accused of desecrating the Muslim holy book, the Quran.
The Church of Pakistan building in Jataykay village near Sambrial, received partial damage as a result of the fire.
Blasphemy accusations were leveled against Robert after his fling with the Muslim girl became known. Some fifty Christian families live in the Jataykay village.
According to police, the deceased had committed suicide in the police cell where he was being held, whereas human rights activists have termed Christian man’s death as “extra-judicial killing.”
After hearing the news of death of Robert due to alleged police torture, angry Christians protested against the death Robert in police custody. They burnt tires on the roads that brought the traffic to a standstill.
The protest rally started from the morgue and terminated at the Allama Iqbal crossing in Sialkot. The participants of the rally shouted slogans against police and jail authorities and demanded repeal of blasphemy laws.
Minority leaders including Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Kamran Michael, Provincial Minister for Minorities and human rights and Khalil Tahir Sandhu, Member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly addressed the outraged Christians.
It is learnt that the post mortem of Robert’s body has been performed but ANS could not obtain the report at the time of writing this report.
The angry Christians refused to bury Robert, insisting that they would only bury him after the officials involved in a alleged extra-judicial killing are brought to justice.
ANS has learnt that Samuel Pervez, the Bishop of the Church of Pakistan Sialkot Diocese, Pastor Manzoor Zia of Hunter Memorial Church, Sialkot, Pastor Shakil and Pastor Maskeen Nisari of Holy Trinity Church of Sialkot, visited District jail Sialkot and found that Robert’s neck had a noose around it whose other end was attached to the iron bars of the cell’s gate.
“They (the police) insisted that Robert committed suicide. His head was down and there was a noose around his neck while the other end of the cord was attached to the iron bar of the cell’s gate. He was about 5 inches above from the ground,” Pastor Maskeen Insari told ANS.
The pastor condemned Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws and demanded of the government to repeal them.
Zafar Iqbal, a former district councilor of Sialkot, said that he suspected that the police might have poisoned his food.
Reacting to death of Robert in mysterious circumstances, Fr. Aftab James Paul vehemently condemned the killing in police custody. “We do not think it is true that Robert committed suicide. He has been killed extra-judicially,” he said.
It was police’s responsibility to “ensure his protection during its custody,” he stated.
Criticizing alleged negligence of the police he said it was common for the police to cover-up its extra-judicial killings by giving disinformation that the deceased had a heart attack or he committed suicide.
He claimed that in many cases it has been found that the death was a result of extra-judicial killings and not the oft-cited two causes of death given by the police following such a tragic incident.
Commenting on the soaring abuse of Pakistan blasphemy laws he pointed out that the laws are not only detrimental to the religious minorities but they are being used to victimize Muslims as well.
Fr. Aftab said some 960 people have been accused of blasphemy since 1986, the year that saw introduction of the disputed laws.
Out of 960 people, he maintained, some 477 are Muslims, 340 Ahmadis, 118 Christians, 14 Hindus and 10 other people whose religious identities could not be ascertained have been accused of blasphemy laws.
He said that 32 people have been killed extra-judicially. Those killed extra-judicially, he said, also included doctors and intellectuals.
He said that the blasphemy laws were playing havoc with the lives and properties of people of all religions. He described the blasphemy laws as a best means to take revenge or settle personal scores. He called for repeal of all sections of Pakistan blasphemy laws. “The repeal of the laws is not enough. There is a need to change the mindsets of people. The scrapping of the laws without changing mindsets of people would be a cosmetic measure,” he remarked.
He underscored the need for sensitizing Muslims that the law is also doing them as much harm as it is doing to the people of other faiths in Pakistan. He urged the national and print media to play its role to rouse consciousness among masses on this issue.
Asked if Pakistan national and print media gives coverage to incidents of injustice and discrimination with minorities, the priest said that news coverage of minorities’ issues on electronic media has improved. The electronic media channels’ crew maintained their presence on ground following violence in village Korian and Gojra of the province Punjab where miscreants had set ablaze Christians’ houses after rumors that Christians had committed blasphemyPeople in decision making positions in the electronic media should ensure that they sensitize the people of Pakistan on misuse of blasphemy laws through their talk shows, he said.
Commenting on the death of Robert during police custody Dr. Nelson Azeem, Member National Assembly (Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz) also termed it as an “extra-judicial killing.” He alleged that the jail officials had committed criminal offence. “We do not believe Robert committed suicide. He has been murdered by jail authorities,” Azeem told ANS.
Mr. Azeem said an inquiry would be made into the incident and the culprits would be handed out sentence in light of the inquiry report. He said the blasphemy laws should be summarily repealed. The laws, he said, were a potential weapon to damage national security, to widen differences and to create civil war in the country.
He said the law was fast eroding sympathies among people of different faiths. He said the Standing Committee for Minorities Affairs had formed a committee which is reviewing the laws. The recommendations of the committee, he said, would be made public. We are lobbying to ensure repeal of the laws.
“We would raise the issue of repeal of blasphemy laws at all forums,” he said,
The Chairman of Pakistan Minorities Teachers’ Association (PMTA) and Director of Social Harmony and Development of women, Professor Anjum James Paul, disputed the police’s version that the Christian man had committed suicide.
The professor said that the Muslim woman who accused Robert of desecrating the Quran, gave a self-contradictory version to the police.
“She accused the deceased of desecrating Quran and throwing it in a drain as well as accused him of fleeing with pages of Quran,” said professor Anjum pointing to the dichotomy of the statement that led to Robert’s detention.
ANS has learnt that Punjab Chief Minister, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, has ordered judicial inquiry into the death of Robert.
ANS understands that instances abound when Christians accused of blasphemy have been tortured and in some cases killed by the police. It is extremely reprehensible when the guardians of the law themselves break the law. Standards of policing in the sub-continent are different from those of the West. Often the third degree is applied for obtaining evidence and confessions.