Daily Times

Rimsha, a poor scavenger belonging to a suburb in Islamabad, was arrested on August 16, 2012, under the Blasphemy Law. Her arrest created a serious reaction not only among Pakistani civil society but on the international level as well. French Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran announced that he would contest Rimsha’s case. Rimsha’s initial medical reports also suggested that she is a 14-year-old minor and her mental age is even less than that. She is also said to be suffering from Down syndrome. However, she is yet to be released even 20 days after her arrest.

This particular case recently brought quite a few surprises not only for the investigators and the courts, but also for citizens at large. The biggest surprise was seen when the All-Pakistan Ulema Council Chairperson, Allama Tahir Ashrafi, demanded the immediate release of Rimsha and the accuser’s trial. Furthermore, Allama Ashrafi also stressed that if the courts are not releasing her due to security concerns, then he was ready to give her protection. However, according to some news reports, Ashrafi is only concerned about Rimsha and her case, because he fears possible amendments in the Blasphemy Law. He voiced his concern by saying, “There is a conspiracy to abolish the Blasphemy Law and investigators (of Rimsha’s case) should expose elements behind this act.”

The other surprise was the accuser’s arrest. Khalid Jadoon Chisti, a cleric at the mosque in Meharabadi area of Islamabad, accused Rimsha of committing blasphemy. The arrest was made when Chisti’s deputy, Hafiz Mohammad Zubair and two others told the magistrate that Chisti purposely added pages of the Holy Quran to the already burnt pages brought to him by a witness to tamper with the evidence. The witnesses were sitting in Ihteqaaf when they saw Chisti fabricating the evidence.

This particular case is being dubbed as an important one, as it can lead to a breakthrough in blasphemy-related cases. Also, as described earlier, the chairperson of the All-Pakistan Ulema Council expressed his fears that this case might lead to possible amendments in the stringent Blasphemy Law.

Now that the investigators and the courts know that the evidence was fabricated by the accuser himself, why is it taking them so long to release Rimsha? It is true that in a society like ours, citizens can very easily be exploited over religion. We have already witnessed this on so many occasions. So the fear that Rimsha will not be secure, if released, is in a way justified. However, this is not the solution, because not only is the girl a minor, she is also suffering from Down syndrome. She needs to be released immediately, and it is the duty of the law enforcement agencies, especially the police, to provide security to Rimsha and her family.

As the case unfolds, more and more people are jumping in to extend their support to Rimsha. The leaders of the PML-N on Tuesday asked the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to take a suo motu notice of Rimsha’s case. Well, it is hard to state whether this support is unconditional or is an effort to gain the sympathies of minority groups in Pakistan, especially when elections are near and every political party wants to secure its vote bank. So only time will tell who is actually supporting Rimsha’s case unconditionally.

Civil society of Pakistan has always remained vocal on issues that concern poor communities, including minority groups. It is already known that governments at different times have signed a number of international conventions and treaties only after lobbying and advocacy by different civil society organisations. Therefore, once again, civil society can play a vital role in Rimsha’s release.

It is also a good opportunity for policy makers to review the Blasphemy Law and particularly its implementation. A number of innocent people have been murdered by mobs on accusations of blasphemy and sadly, the killers roam freely and consider it an honour. This needs to change for the good of society. It is becoming obvious with every passing day that our society is growing insensitive to violence. If there is a law, the law enforcement agencies have the duty to implement it. In most blasphemy-related cases, the police hand over the accused to mobs, fearing a reaction. This is the weakest link. The police has to stay unbiased, because when it hands over the accused to the mob, it becomes complicit in the crime.

It is widely hoped that this case might bring a change, if not in the law itself, but at least in its implementation. If the accuser in this case is charged with the crime, it will surely act as a reminder to those who purposely accuse others of blasphemy to settle their personal vendettas.

The writer is a development consultant and can be reached at coordinator@individualland.com