Five Christians acquitted from blasphemy charges

Jun 30, 2016

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court in Lahore has acquitted five Christians accused of blasphemy. The case was registered on August 16, 2015 against 16 persons accused of having published material considered offensive to Islam.

The court had also added charges of “inciting sectarian hatred.” Among the victims was a Protestant Christian pastor Aftab Gill of Gujrat, who published a poster with the word rasool for his late father, Fazal Masih, founder of his community. The Muslims were offended because the term rasool is an attribute of the Prophet Muhammad.

The term rasool is present in the Bible in Urdu and Christians had no blasphemous intent. In September last year the anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala denied bail to the accused Christians. Now, after a new intervention promoted by the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement NGO, (CLAAS), the five believers were released. -- ICN