Faisalabad: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) demands for protection, and justice to Younas Masih and his family. Younas Masih a 68 year old man, was accused of blasphemy (under section 295B of ppc) in the village of Khurrianwala, Faisalabad, Pakistan. 

Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) fact findings the case, visited sites of incident, police stations, interviewing the involved characters, and as Younas Masih freed from charges, he visited HRFP office for continuity of assistance in their emergency.

Younas Masih and his family shared with HRFP the details of consequences and reasons behind the alleging him for the blasphemy charges. HRFP team collected the facts, evidence, documents and resulted it as a fake charge against Younas Masih.

The incident took place on 10 February 2024, when Younas Masih was falsely blamed of blasphemy by Fatima Bibi and her husband Liaqat Ali due to personal grudge and family’s dispute. A conflict started between Christian and Muslim woman, Fatima Bibi and Younis's wife Azra Bibi few months before and that resulted in stopping the visits to each other homes being neighbors.

Even a minor grandson of Younas Masih named Rehman who sometimes used to visit Fatima's home was asked to not visit them anymore. When Azra Bibi asked the reasons for this behavior, Fatima Bibi replied that she is going to take actions against them on the levels and she will make sure that no one from Younis’s family would be able to live there.

On 10 February 2024, in the evening around 3pm Fatima Bibi suddenly started screaming and provoking people that Younas Masih has defiled the Quranic pages. Someone called 15, the police reached and took Younas immediately to nearby police station. As the mobs followed to the police station, gathered around, police took Younas Masih to Civil Line Police Station Katchery Bazar Faisalabad.

In the Police Station, Younas Masih was enquired about blasphemy’s allegations, when he was proven innocent, he was set free on 13 February 2024. Furthermore, as Fatima and Liaqat came to the police station following the case, they were imprisoned after enquiring and proving being guilty.

Although First Information Report (FIR) was registered on 10 February 2024 stating by Fatima Bibi that from last 1 and half years, she had converted to Islam with her husband Amanat Ali. She alleged that at 9:00 AM when she was reciting Holy Quran while sitting on bed of her house, her husband was out of home, Younas Masih came, started quarreling, physical violence and threw the Holy Quran on floor and torn the Quranic verses and throw it on ground and said that if you do not obey me, I will cast you out of the house.

After declaring Younas Masih an innocent in police enquiry, on 14 February 2024, FIR (#242/24) was registered in the city police station against Amanat Ali after his fleeing, who was arrested proving guilty with his wife Fatima in the case of blasphemy (FIR #276/24 under section 295 PPC) registered in the local police station. He ran away from the police van while Fatima was in judicial custody of district jail Faisalabad. Later Amanat Ali was arrested again from another city and sent to jail.   

Naveed Walter president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) welcomed the quick police inquiry and declaring Younas Masih an innocent, proving Fatima and Amanat guilty within three days in an exemplary case. He said one of the reasons to declaring guilty perpetrators is a couple who had converted to Islam 1 & half years before, those have no credibility in the society. If the techniques of this test case were followed in other such cases, that would be such a real reform in policy & mechanisms in the same situations, he added.

Naveed Walter president of HRFP said, Younas Masih, and his family will reside in hiding for longer time, because of the sensitivity of their matter. Even the charges have been annulled by police investigations but as the case goes through court, Younas could be called throughout, and the threats from the religious fundamentalists would be remained, he added. He also said, HRFP was concerned about how Amanat Ali ran away from the police van; but the good thing is he was arrested again.

The repealing of blasphemy laws and protections of blasphemy victims and families whether they are in prisons or not, is an ultimate demand of HRFP, Naveed Walter added.