ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Saturday dismissed charges against a scholar who accused a young Christian girl of blasphemy and who was arrested last year for allegedly forging evidence against her, his lawyer said.
The lawyer, Wajid Gilani, said the district judge in Islamabad on Saturday granted the motion to acquit his client, cleric Khalid Chishti, after the judge ruled that the prosecution had not brought forward sufficient evidence.
Chishti was the imam, or prayer leader, at the mosque in the mixed, Muslim-Christian neighborhood of Maherabadi in the Pakistani capital.
He had accused the young girl of burning pages of Islam’s holy book last year. He said a man had allegedly brought him a plastic bag containing some burned papers and ash, claiming the girl had been carrying them around.
The bag was submitted as evidence to the police and subsequently the girl was arrested to pacify the angry mob in the neighborhood.
But then, the cleric himself was arrested and accused of planting pages of the Qur’an in the bag. The girl was released on bail after spending three weeks in jail and subsequently found shelter in Canada along with her family.
After the girl’s arrest, most of the other Christian families fled the Islamabad neighborhood where the incident happened, fearing retribution. They took refuge in a forested area in central Islamabad but were kicked out of the area the following day by angry residents.
Meanwhile, there were contrary reports about the girl — some said she was 11 years old and has Down’s syndrome; a medical board said she was about 14 and that her mental age didn’t match her physical age.
The defense lawyer, Gilani, insisted on his client’s innocence and claimed police had implicated Chishti in false charges.
“My client was innocent from the very beginning and he had to suffer for no crime,” said the lawyer.
The prosecutor and the investigating officer could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
Rao Abdur Raheem, a lawyer for the man who brought the initial complaint against the girl, questioned who had burned the Qur’an since Chishti was exonerated and the girl had been released previously.
“My case is still there, blasphemy occurred but who should we now blame for it,” asked Raheem.
Few leaders in this predominantly Muslim country have shown willingness to tackle the contentious issue, especially after two prominent politicians who criticized the blasphemy law were murdered in recent years. One of the politicians was shot by his own bodyguard, who then attracted adoring crowds.
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Court clears scholar in Pakistan blasphemy case
Court clears scholar in Pakistan blasphemy case
Czech prime minister in favor of social media ban for under-15s
PRAGUE: Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Sunday he was in favor of banning the use of social media by children under 15, as a growing number of European countries consider similar restrictions.
Countries including Spain, Greece, Britain and France are weighing tougher stances on social media use due to concern over the perceived negative effects on children, after Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit access to such platforms for the under-16s.
“I am in favor because the experts I know say that it is terribly harmful to children. We must protect our children,” Babis said in a regular video message posted on several of his social media accounts on Sunday, without giving further details.
Later in the day, the government’s first deputy prime minister, Karel Havlicek, told a television chat show on private broadcaster CNN Prima News that the cabinet was seriously considering proposing a ban. If it decides to go ahead, Havlicek said legislation would be proposed this year.
Spain and Greece proposed bans on social media use by teenagers last week, as attitudes hardened in Europe against technology some say is designed to be addictive. The measures announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez drew fury from Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the X platform, formerly Twitter.
Britain is considering an Australia-style ban, while France is working through legislation to ban children aged under 15 from social media use.
Governments and regulators worldwide are looking at the impact of children’s screen time on their development and mental wellbeing.
Countries including Spain, Greece, Britain and France are weighing tougher stances on social media use due to concern over the perceived negative effects on children, after Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit access to such platforms for the under-16s.
“I am in favor because the experts I know say that it is terribly harmful to children. We must protect our children,” Babis said in a regular video message posted on several of his social media accounts on Sunday, without giving further details.
Later in the day, the government’s first deputy prime minister, Karel Havlicek, told a television chat show on private broadcaster CNN Prima News that the cabinet was seriously considering proposing a ban. If it decides to go ahead, Havlicek said legislation would be proposed this year.
Spain and Greece proposed bans on social media use by teenagers last week, as attitudes hardened in Europe against technology some say is designed to be addictive. The measures announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez drew fury from Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the X platform, formerly Twitter.
Britain is considering an Australia-style ban, while France is working through legislation to ban children aged under 15 from social media use.
Governments and regulators worldwide are looking at the impact of children’s screen time on their development and mental wellbeing.
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