A Christian faces blasphemy charge over social media content
On 29 November 2022, Ishtiaq Saleem, a Christian sanitary worker from Islamabad was allegedly accused of posting blasphemous content on social media, which led to his arrest. The Federal Investigation Agency lodged an FIR against him under sections 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, and 295-A, 295-B, 295-C 298-A (blasphemy laws), and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The complainant Muhammad Imran accused him of willfully defiling Islam and hurting religious feelings of Muslims by creating content having name of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) written on private parts of the naked body, and sharing it on social media.
FIA officers arrested Ishtiaq outside his house in Islamabad. They slapped him in the face, used abusive language, and confiscated his mobile phone and national identity card, and forced him to confess to the offense. The officers placed him in vehicle, and took him to the Police station, and later put him in jail.
Ishtiaq Saleem’s wife, Ghazal Ishtiaq said that Ishtiaq is illiterate, and the content attributed to him carries a picture and words in Arabic, that he is unable to read and understand. He has not committed any act of blasphemy intentionally, and the case involves a conspiracy to target him for his religious belief. She added, “We have got a son of age below two years old, and it has become difficult to make both ends meet for survival. My tears don’t stop, and my family is living in constant fear and trauma ever since this unfortunate episode occurred in our lives.”
Ishtiaq’s father, Saleem Masih said that Ishtiaq had been working for over four months as a sanitary worker under Capital Development Authority Islamabad, however, he was not given any penny for his services. He appealed to the Christian community to pray for the acquittal of Ishtiaq, and appealed to decision-makers to make serious efforts to ensure his reunion with the family.
The Chairperson of Voice for Justice, Joseph Jansen said that complaints against Christians for just liking, commenting and forwarding content on social media under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016 has resulted in increasing the persecution of religious minorities. He added that PECA cracks down on freedom of expression, and imposes curbs on sharing opinions and thoughts, and is used to victimize vulnerable groups. This law is applied without inquiring whether the accused has committed any act of blasphemy intentionally or unintentionally.
He observed that PECA and Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are in conflict with international human rights standards and violate its constitutional obligations to protect the rights of religious freedom for all, as it was the vision of the nation’s founder. “The complainant who levels blasphemy allegations against any person is bound to prove malicious intent, but this stipulation is missing in legislation and is not taken into account during blasphemy trials,” Joseph Jansen noted.
A human rights activist, Ashiknaz Khokhar said that it is encouraging that Civil Aviation Authority has suspended a Muslim official, Saleem for threatening a Christian female security officer, Samina Mushtaq with a blasphemy charge over her refusal to allow an unauthorized vehicle without a sticker and a number place from entering cargo area at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, and has tasked the airport services director to head an inquiry committee to probe the incident.
This case is a clear indication that social matters are painted in a color of defamation of religion and the blasphemy laws are misused to settle personal scores. The onus is on the Pakistani authorities to make arrangements for the safety and security of the female officer, and introduce legal and administrative safeguards to prevent its misuse, he demanded.
A human rights activist, Ilyas Samuel lamented that the perpetrators with wicked motives, harmful to public order, peace and social cohesion, are not prosecuted and they enjoy impunity despite being involved in acts of discrimination, intolerance, hatred, and violence against religious communities. Sadly, the innocuous people for sharing their reaction to social media posts are apprehended and sentenced to death, as witnessed in cases involving Imran Rehman and Shagufta Kiran.
