Senate body suggests punishment for making false blasphemy charges

Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights has recommended giving blasphemy punishment to those who concoct blasphemy accusations against others. The committee met here with Senator Nasreen Jalil in the chair on Tuesday. The committee recommended that provincial governments, which forward the application on behalf of a convicted person, should clearly define reasons on the basis of which the plea has been filed. The committee recommended simplifying the procedure for filing mercy petitions against death penalties with the President with an aim to provide relief on humanitarian grounds.
The committee recommended that anyone looking to register a blasphemy case at a police station will have to bring witnesses in support of allegations. The committee asked for forming an executive committee with the representation of all stakeholders including National Commission for Human Rights, Ministry of Law and Justice and Ministry of Human Rights to see the complaints before sending them to the President.
An official of National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) briefed the committee that the application of priest of Youhanabad Church was prepared by police officials but the relevant documents including medical and judicial records to validate the request were not annexed, which resulted in refusal of the plea.
The committee also recommended that the cases of around 40 accused apprehended in Youhanabad Church incident in Lahore three years ago should be transferred from Anti-Terrorist Court to other courts. The committee was further informed that in case of rejection, law gives the provision that another plea can be filed within seven days on fresh grounds, adding that since the causes of refusal are not usually mentioned in the order, hence it creates problems for the applicants.
Member NCHR Muhammad Shafiq stated that 27 cases of death penalty are still pending. Discussing the juvenile cases, the committee was informed that as per latest legislation, age of child should be determined at the time of filing of case to avoid any complication later. The committee was informed that a new law has been passed by the National Assembly which will soon be tabled in the Senate. The committee also forwarded three recommendations to Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) for their comments on misuse of blasphemy law.
The committee meeting was attended by Senators Farhatullah Babar, Mufti Abdul Sattar, Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari, and Mir Kabir Ahmed Muhammad Shahi, officials of Punjab police, representatives of National Commission for Human Rights and officials of Ministries of Human Rights and Law and Justice.