Man booked on blasphemy charge in Pakistan's Punjab

Punjab [Pakistan], April 16 : Police on Sunday booked a man for claiming to be a "messenger of god" in Gujrat, Pakistan's Punjab province, reported Dawn.

As per police sources, the man entered the village mosque with a knife in his hand and shouted that he was a "messenger of god".

When some locals present in the mosque admonished him over uttering the words, the suspect attacked one of them with the knife, leaving him injured, reported Dawn.

A team of Sara-i-Alamgir Sadar police reached the mosque after the locals called them and arrested the 30-year-old suspect on blasphemy charges and making an attempt on the life of another man at a mosque at Puraan village in Gujrat.

Sources say a case has been lodged against the suspect under sections 295-C and 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code, on the complaint of the injured man, reported Dawn.

Sources in the suspect's family, however, said he had been suffering from mental health issues and still receiving treatment.

Earlier on Saturday, police registered a case of blasphemy against a Faisalabad-based woman, Dawn reported.

The case was registered under sections 295 A, B and C and 298-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, on the complaint of a private person.

According to the complainant, the suspect posted a post laced with blasphemous content.

Around a week ago, the Lahore High Court Bar Association released an extremely concerning notification, underlining the need for a witchhunt against supposed blasphemers in Pakistan, The Nation reported.

The notification of the Lahore High Court Bar Association showcased how little progress Pakistan has made as a country with regard to "weaponising" blasphemy. Further, according to the news report, Pakistan has learnt nothing from the mistakes committed as a country which has led to international humiliation and condemnation of violent and intolerant mindset.

The notification revealed that there are 4,00,000 blasphemers in Pakistan who have allegedly shared blasphemous texts or memes on social media, The Nation stated, citing reports. According to the notification, only 119 people have been arrested and 11 death sentences have been awarded.

The Lahore High Court Bar Association has called for a widespread crackdown on alleged blasphemers. Keeping in view how blasphemy has been weaponised time and again, this seems to be another call to cater to the insecurity and intolerance Pakistan possesses as a society, the report stated, adding that celebrities and clerics on TV were calling for blood and spewing extremist rhetoric, in a "blatant attempt" at putting people's lives in danger.

The news report called it imperative for Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to take measures in this regard, according to The Nation report. The issue is less about religion and more about catering to religious rights and diverting the attention of people from the real issues.

Further, as per the news report, there has been an increasing push in recent weeks to "centre extremist groups".

Earlier, in March, an anti-terrorism court of Pakistan convicted a man on the charge of committing blasphemy and other religion-related offences on social media and sentenced him to death, Dawn reported. A fine of Pakist Rupees (PKR) 1.2 million fine was imposed on the convict.