Open Doors Prayer Team (www.opendoorsuk.org) a United Kingdom Registered Charity has said that the 14-year-old Pakistani Christian girl, Rimsha Masih Gains, accused of burning pages of the Quran, has breathed air of freedom.
Quoting her lawyer, Tahir Naveed Chaudry, the Christian advocacy group said she was release following the testimony of mosque leaders who told police they had seen Imam Chishti planting pages of a Quran among burnt papers in a bag belonging to the girl.
Also quoting BBC News, it noted that Imam Chishti has now been imprisoned and charged under the same section of Pakistan’s blasphemy law as Rimsha, which calls for life imprisonment for any person found guilty of willful desecration of the Quran. Chishti is on remand until 16 September.
It noted that meanwhile Rimsha has been released into the protective custody of her family on bail security of approximately £7,000. There is as yet no date for her next court hearing.
A Christian activist in Rawalpindi, Xavier William stated: "I am extremely concerned about Rimsha’s safety. Whenever she gets released, she and her family won’t be able to go back to their village. There are 600 Christian families who fled from the area when Rimsha was accused. They are frightened to go back, especially after learning that the burnt pages were planted by the cleric himself."
The country’s Minister for National Harmony, Dr. Paul Bhatti, has asked the Interior Ministry and the police to provide him with a complete list of those now housed in various parts of the capital, "…it’s becoming quite clear that a land mafia has set its sights on the area, and wanted to evict the Christians to clear their way."
Bhatti said that Rimsha’s case had opened opportunities to discuss the misuse of the blasphemy laws with Islamic clerics. "I have been talking with various Muslim religious leaders over the past few days to consider how to deal with such cases effectively.”
Chaudry, Rimsha’s lawyer said: "The case has prompted every one of us to ponder how innocent people are made to suffer by their enemies. The widespread condemnation of Jadoon’s (Imam Chishti’s) action shows that there is still hope for things to improve in Pakistan."
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