Father and daughter cleared of blasphemy charges - CLAAS

Lahore: December 18, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

CLAAS is celebrating a small victory for Christians in Pakistan after a court acquitted a Christian man and his daughter of blasphemy charges. Gulsher Masih and his 19-year-old daughter Sandal were found not guilty by a court of sessions judge this week, ending a 14-month struggle to clear their names.

Gulsher and Sandal were first arrested in October last year for allegedly committing blasphemy, a crime under section 295-B, 109 of the Pakistani penal code.

They were accused by local Muslims who claimed that Gulsher and Sandal had torn up pages of the Koran.  A mob of 500 Muslims used the alleged blasphemy as an excuse to attack their home in Goira Chak, throwing stones and bricks at it and breaking the windows and doors.

The act of blasphemy was contested by a respected local school teacher, Kamal Anjum, who described Gulsher and his daughter as “good Christians and law-abiding citizens”.

“I was not aware of the incident at first but I saw hundreds of enraged Muslims surround Mr Masih’s house,” he said.

“They were abusive and hurled insults to Masih’s and the rest of the Christian community.

“I knew then that somebody had played a dirty game against Gulsher Masih with the purpose of destroying the peace and good relations in our community.”

As is often the case when blasphemy charges are levelled against Christians, Gulsher and Sandal were immediately put in prison by police, pending trial.  At the time of the court’s ruling this week, Gulsher was still being held in the district jail in Faisalabad and Sandal in the district jail in Jhang, more than one year after they were arrested.

Although their petition for release on bail last December was turned down, but CLAAS remained hopeful that the pair would be released soon and this is a special gift from the Lord to all of us on this Christmas.