JAMMU: The family of a 26-year-old Christian man in Lahore has rejected allegations of blasphemy because of which he was arrested in August. The family has said that his arrest was baseless as the charges were made because of enmity and have appealed for justice. The young man named Samuel Arif has now been sent into judicial remand.
Samuel Arif, aged 26, was arrested and charged with blasphemy according to a First Information Report (FIR) filed on August 29, less than a fortnight ago. The FIR (806/26) was registered at the Muslim Town Police Station, Lahore, under Sections 295-C and 298-A of the Pakistan Penal Code. The complaint was filed by Muhammad Umair Alam Khan, a resident of Punjab University Staff Colony, according to a report in voicepk.net, a Pakistani portal specialising in reports regarding human rights.
Being charged under these sections pertaining to blasphemy can lead to serious consequences for the accused. The punishment can range from life imprisonment to death sentence and mob lynching becomes a very serious threat in most cases.
Incidentally, it needs to be mentioned here that personal enmity and property disputes have often been found to be the reasons for levelling of blasphemy charges. It is a handy tool often used by the Muslims against non-Muslims who hardly have any effective protection against such inspired allegations.
Details in FIR regarding blasphemy charges
According to the allegations recorded in the FIR, the incident occurred on August 28, around 5.40 PM in Block A of the Punjab University Staff Colony. The complainant reportedly told police that Samuel had allegedly intercepted his two minor daughters in the colony and told them things about Prophet Muhammad which were the basis of blasphemy charges. The complainant said his daughters said Samuel had allegedly spoken to them about a dream involving Prophet Muhammad.
As recorded in the FIR, Samuel allegedly told the girls that the Prophet had appeared in his dream and instructed him to marry the two girls. The FIR further alleges that Samuel referred to the marriage of the Prophet and Hazrat Ayesha. Samuel then mentioned her age at the time of marriage (six years), and allegedly used derogatory language.
The complainant further alleged that Samuel had something smeared on his hands and attempted to apply it to the faces of the two girls. According to the FIR, the girls managed to avoid this and ran towards their home. It was further alleged that Samuel followed them until they reached their residence in the Staff Colony.
Muslim mob assaulted accused in gym
Samuel’s family said that after hearing what the girls told him, the complainant gathered his friends and neighbors from the Muslim community. A large crowd then assembled and charged towards the gym in the Staff Colony, where Samuel was exercising with his friends.
According to the family, accused Samuel was then beaten up severely and that the attackers attempted to kill him at the scene. As the situation escalated, someone reportedly contacted the police. Police officers soon arrived at the location and intervened, bringing the situation under control.
Samuel was subsequently taken into police custody. However, the family has expressed serious concern about Samuel’s safety following the alleged assault. Even in police custody, the accused can be attacked by Islamist criminals, they feared.
Samuel’s mother rejects allegations against her son
Sohail Habel, Director of human rights organizaton HARDS Pakistan said that Samuel Arif’s family has denied the allegations and believes he may have been falsely implicated because of a personal dispute. “I spoke directly with the accused,” he said.
“The accused completely denied all allegations, maintaining that he did not commit any blasphemy and that the case was registered falsely out of personal enmity.”
Samuel Arif’s family has lived in the Staff Colony for more than 10 years when his father, Arif Masih, worked at the university as a sanitary worker. After Arif Masih’s death, the family moved to Saint Mary’s Colony in Gulberg, but Samuel continued to visit the staff colony to meet friends.
“Someone must have set a trap for Samuel to settle a personal score,” said Habel. Currently he is providing legal help for Samuel. Samuel’s mother, Mukhtaran Bibi, strongly rejected the allegations against her son. “I know for sure that Samuel could not have engaged in the alleged blasphemous conversation,” she said. “He would know better than to say such a thing, especially because of legal consequences, associated with the blasphemy law.”
Mukhtaran Bibi also expressed the emotional and physical burden the case has placed on her, particularly because of her own health problems following a road accident. “I have survived a severe road accident, but at this age, facing such a sensitive allegation is unbearable for me. I have seen so many families being destroyed after such allegations,” she said.
