A Christian man in Pakistan has been granted bail, only a day after he was arrested on false accusations of blasphemy.
Maan Shaukat Masih is a 25-year-old Pakistani resident who was accused of tearing down a banner with the name of one of Islam’s prophets on the anniversary of the birth of the prophet.
Media reports are that Masih and some of his friends were having a heated religious conversation with his Muslim neighbours, after which they went home. Some Muslim boys reportedly told their neighbours that Masih had pulled down a banner with the names of some Islamic holy figures.The local Christian and Muslim leaders organised a meeting in an effort to resolve the matter, but Sohail Habil of the legal aid group HARDS Pakistan told the media that the matter escalated due to provocation by Islamic extremist elements.
“They demanded that Masih be arrested and charged with blasphemy, warning that the Christian residents would have to face the consequences if they did not surrender him,” he explained.
“Out of fear for Masih and other Christians in the vicinity, his family voluntarily handed him over to the police before registration of a case,” said Habil.
Following his surrender, a case was registered against Masih under Section 298 of the blasphemy statutes. Section 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code pertains to religious offences aimed at hurting the feelings of any person by certain actions or expressions. If punished under these laws, one may be imprisoned for up to one year or fined. In some cases, a convicted individual may face both punishments.
Masih went to the court of Lahore Cantt Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Shabbir the day after he surrendered, where the investigation officer insisted on judicial punishment. The judge, however, ruled in Masih’s favour and granted Masih’s release on bail against surety bonds amounting to 50,000 Pakistani Rupees.
“This is a rare case in which a person accused of blasphemy has been freed on bail after spending only a few hours behind bars,” Habil proclaimed. “This was made possible only by the grace of our Lord, who answered the prayers of Masih’s family and other Christians in the neighborhood. The entire community was very tense because this accusation had come weeks after another resident in the area, Amir Peter, was arrested on charges that he had disrespected Islam’s prophet.”
Masih has since relocated to a safe place as a security precaution.