Pakistan government agrees to try blasphemy cases under anti-terrorism law

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – In a move that has raised fears of increased injustice and harsh punishment for Christians and other minority faith groups, the government of Pakistan has agreed to allow the crime of blasphemy against Islam to be charged under severe anti-terrorism legislation that is actually intended to prevent sectarianism, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

The Pakistani government’s decision to associate blasphemy with terrorism was a concession to the demands of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Islamic extremist political party, MSN reports.

On June 17 Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Economic Affairs Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq signed an agreement with TLP leaders Muhadmmad Shafique Amini and Allama Ghulam Abbas Faizi to the effect that suspects charged with blasphemy under Section 295-C of the Penal Code can be tried under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 1997.

In a statement criticizing the move, Asad Jamal, a Muslim lawyer of the Supreme Court, Asad Jamal told Morning Star News: “295-C relates to hurting of religious sentiments as a result of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad, whereas Section 7 of ATA is specifically for acts wherein the general public feels terrorized by violence.”

“It warrants a question here of how can an accused instigate the masses and simultaneously also terrorize them? Going ahead with any move to amend the ATA to include Section 295-C will only worsen the human rights situation in Pakistan,” Jamal said.

Ruled by an authoritarian Islamic regime, Pakistan ranks 7th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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