Pakistan: Hope for Christian Youth Jailed on Blasphemy Charges
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A 17-year-old Christian youth who is incarcerated in Punjab Province, Pakistan has been granted bail in one of three cases against him of blasphemy – although he will remain in prison over Christmas because of the remaining two cases, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Akash Karamat, a student from a poor Christian family in Sargodha, Punjab Province, has been in prison since his arrest on August 27 last year, MSN reports. “Akash was accused of writing blasphemous posters and desecrating the Quran in areas of Sargodha, allegedly in retaliation for the Aug. 16, 2023, Muslim mob attacks on multiple churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala,” MSN said in its report.
Giving hope to his family that he may be released on bail for the remaining cases, on December 19 Akash was granted bail in the most serious case, one which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment if he is convicted, MSN reports.
In a statement to MSN, Akash’s attorney, Asad Jamal, said:
“Karamat and his co-accused, Zimran Asim, were implicated falsely in all three cases. Asim has already been freed on bail in all three cases, and we believe that Karamat will also get justice.”
In a separate statement, Akash’s father, Karamat Masih, told MSN about the impact his son’s incarceration has had. “We’ve suffered a lot since the time police arrested Akash on these false charges. I used to earn a livelihood for the family through my tailoring shop, but after Akash was arrested, we were forced to close it down and leave our home to save ourselves from violence. We’ve been surviving hand-to-mouth since then.”
Ruled by an Islamic regime with harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistan ranks 7 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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