Two Blasphemy Incidents Shake Lahore and Khanewal on a Single Day: Innocence and Accusations

Upon arriving at the parents’ home, Mr. Taimur inquired if Mrs. Shoukat knew about some pages strewn across the streets. He did not specify that they were from a Quran. When questioned by him, Mr. Shoukat suggested that her children, Sundas (8 yrs), Rubi (5 yrs), and son Sagir (7 yrs), might have inadvertently discarded the pages. Taimur then forced his way into the Christian couple’s home and claimed to have found a pink bag filled with such torn pages from the Quran.

The complainant, Mr. Taimur, further asserted that he found the pages scattered on the roof of the Christian home as well. He began shouting loudly, referring to the Christian couple as ‘Churah’ (a derogatory term meaning dirty infidel). “You must die, you blasphemers!” he shouted, which led to an additional 15 local Muslim neighbors gathering at the terrified Christians’ home. The Muslim mob begam beating the Christian parents with sticks, punches and kicks.

Mr. Taimur promptly called the police by dialing 15, and they arrived within 15 minutes to arrest the astonished and beleaguered Christian couple. The couple was then taken to Shumali Chauni Police Station in Lahore Cantt, leaving all three of their young and vulnerable children at home. At the police station, an FIR was registered against the couple under Section 295B of the Pakistan Penal Code.

On September 9th, the British Asian Christian Association (BACA) paid a visit to the residence of Sharif Masih, aged 44, the elder brother of Kiran Bibi. Sharif Masih currently takes care of Kiran’s children after a distressing incident. He recounted the events as follows:

“Shoukat and Kiran, along with their children, had been residing in a servant quarter of the house where the couple had recently found employment. They had just moved to this house two weeks ago, having secured work as domestic servants.”

“Both Sundas and Rubi have autism, which is likely why Kiran may have believed that pages could have been scattered by the children. The incident has left a deep emotional scar on the children, as they were unfortunate witnesses to the violence inflicted upon their parents.”

“My wife and I are struggling to help the children recover from the trauma of this incident.”

Seven-year-old Sagir, in his account, confirmed that Mr. Taimur arrived at their home and alleged finding Koranic papers on the roof. He was very clear in stating that he and his sisters saw neighbors gathering at their home and observed them beating his mother and father with sticks. Sagir continues to ask about the whereabouts of his parents and has repeatedly emphasized their innocence, asserting that no one in their house had desecrated a Koran. Sagir recalled that around 3:00 am, local police arrived and arrested his parents. He recounted how his parents were screaming, demanding that their children be taken to a place of safety, but the police refused.

“We were crying when they arrested my parents. We were wailing in the streets, and a local rickshaw driver asked us if we had any family members with whom we could stay. We were frightened, but I didn’t know what else to do, so I directed him to my uncle’s house as he lived nearby. My uncle and aunt have been caring for us, but we miss our mum and dad so much.”

The two sisters were immediately taken to their uncle by an unknown Rickshaw driver.  Sagir though only 7 was told by neighbours to stand in the streets and not move.  It seems the Muslim community initially contemplated taking vengeance for the alleged blasphemy on him.  Later in the evening he also escaped and ran home.

Juliet Chowdhry, a Trustee for the British Asian Christian Association, expressed her concerns regarding the situation:

“The history of blasphemy cases in Pakistan reveals a disturbing pattern: allegations against religious minorities are often exploited to settle personal scores or hidden agendas.

“In the case of Muhammad Taimur’s complaint, several aspects raise questions. He claims to have been the sole witness to the torn pages falling from the sky, his individual decision to approach the accused couple’s door, and the seemingly miraculous discovery of the bag containing the torn Quranic pages—all of these elements cast doubt on the credibility of the accusation.

“I’m confident that ulterior motives will become apparent with time.”

Mrs. Chowdhry also condemned the actions of the attending police, stating:

“How is it that, despite a married Christian couple being attacked by a violent mob of Muslims in the presence of vulnerable children, only the couple was arrested?

“How have the police managed to overlook the dire situation of three vulnerable children, all under the age of 9?

“By a stroke of luck, these children found refuge in a stranger’s rickshaw and safely arrived at their uncle’s home. Anything could have happened to them, and it is disgraceful that the police deemed it acceptable to leave them in such a state.”

Mrs. Chowdhry also discussed proposed improvements in the handling of blasphemy-related arrests. She stated:

“A committee should be established to conduct preliminary investigations before filing an FIR with the police. This committee should comprise religious scholars from both sides, senior police officials tasked with examining the evidence, and recommendations for further action from relevant law enforcement agencies in the country.

“It is crucial to safeguard the rights of religious minorities, ensure justice, and maintain the integrity of these sensitive laws.

In this specific case, an inquiry into the actions of the deployed police should be initiated. This scrutiny should encompass an evaluation of the decision to leave behind vulnerable children.

“Pakistan has ratified several UN Conventions that protect women and children (click here), yet law enforcement authorities in the nation persist in violating them.”