The Amnesty International has come up with yet another report on Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
Titled “As good as dead: The impact of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan”, the report doesn’t tell anything new but makes out a strong case, as in the past, for the repeal of these laws which have reduced the Christians, Ahmdiays, Shias and other minorities to second class citizens of the Land of Pure. Even  children, persons with mental disabilities, and the poor are also victims of these unjust laws.
Islamisation of Pakistan which started under military dictator Gen Zia ul Haq and gained momentum with the radicalisation of the society in recent years has made religious minorities and others the target of false accusations, while emboldening vigilantes prepared to threaten or kill the accused.Pakistan’s Supreme Court has recently observed that  “the majority of blasphemy cases are based on false accusations”
“There is overwhelming evidence that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws violate human rights and encourage people to take the law into their own hands. Once a person is accused, they become ensnared in a system that offers them few protections, presumes them guilty, and fails to safeguard them against people willing to use violence,” Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Amnesty report highligts how people accused of blasphemy face a grueling struggle to establish their innocence. Even if a person is acquitted of the charges against them and released, usually after long delays, they can still face threats to their life. Once an accusation of blasphemy is made, the police can arrest the accused, without even checking to see if the charges make sense, as the human rights watchdog says.
In fact the way Blasphemy laws are enforced in Pakistan is a classic example of majoritarian agenda. The police bow to clerics and their supporters who galvanize crowds with or without provocation. Faced with angry crowds, the police shy away from scrutinising evidence and simply remit the cases to prosecution. Denial of bail and lengthy and unfair trials are a norm, not an exception.
As Amnesty report notes, the threat of violence follows many people accused of blasphemy, with groups or individuals taking the law into their own hands to threaten or kill the accused and other people associated with them, including their lawyers, members of their families, and members of their own community. “A pall of fear also hangs over those working in Pakistan’s criminal justice system, preventing lawyers, police, prosecutors and judges from carrying out their jobs effectively, impartially, and free of fear.”
Undoubtedly Pakistan’s blasphemy laws violate the country’s international legal obligations to respect and protect freedom of religion or belief and of opinion and expression. Such laws have no place in the 21st century. Pakistan will do well to heed the call to repeal these laws.