One of Pakistan’s most respected Catholic leaders has welcomed news that 14-year-old Rimsha Masih has been acquitted of blasphemy – charges which could have seen her facing life imprisonment.
Speaking from Pakistan, Bishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore Archdiocese told Aid to the Church in Need that the decision by the court in the capital, Islamabad, was a breakthrough for justice not just for Christians but for the whole country.
Bishop Shaw, who heads Pakistan’s largest diocese, said: “It is very, very good news for us that that this girl, a minor, got real justice.”
“It is also good for Pakistan– the whole of Pakistan– as it shows that there is justice, that where there are good people then justice can prevail.”
All charges against Rimsha Masih were dismissed by chief justice Iqbal Hameed-ur Rehman today (Tuesday, 20 Nov) at the high court on the grounds that there were no witnesses to the alleged crime.
Bishop Shaw said: “The court has ruled that when there is sufficient evidence then justice can prevail and this is good for all of us.”
Noting that the case has attracted worldwide attention, he added: “And we also appreciate all people who have supported this cause inside the country, outside the country and all over the world.
“We appreciate their efforts and we pray that people like this may continue their efforts so that many, many other people may get justice and live a dignified life.”
There has been no response from Rimsha Masih or her family, who have been in hiding since the girl was granted bail on 7 September.
Muslim Imam Khalid Jadoon now faces a charge of making a false accusation, after witnesses came forward claiming that he planted the evidence on Miss Masih.
Bishop Shaw said: “One thing is very evident – and I think the government and other people realise this – that there may not have been sufficient enquiries when some people were accused of [violating the] blasphemy laws.
“So I feel now that this case will help us, and that now people will make more thorough enquiries.
“And then if a person has done something they will be liable to punishment – but if he is not liable then he should be set free and in this way it will really prove that there is justice in Pakistan.”
Rimsha Masih was accused, on 17 August, of burning pages of the Noorani Qaida, an Islamic booklet used by people learning basic Arabic and the Qur’an.
The girl, said to have Down’s Syndrome, was also alleged to have put the booklet into a plastic bag and threw it into a bin.
Amid uncertainty about Rimsha’s birthdate, a medical board reported that she had a physical age of about 14, but that her learning difficulties meant that her mental age is well below that.
It recommended that her case be tried by a juvenile court.
Intentional desecration of Qur’anic texts carries a sentence of life imprisonment according to Section 295B of the Pakistan Penal Code – which are part of the country's notorious Blasphemy Laws.
According to section 82 of Pakistan’s Penal Code, “nothing is an offence” if done by a child below the age of 12, assuming the child “has not attained sufficient maturity of understanding to judge the nature and consequences of his conduct on that occasion”.
John Newton