A Christian man has been accused by two close family members of committing blasphemy, in what appears to be the first case of its kind in Pakistan. Anwar Masih was arrested on 2 June and charged under Pakistan’s blasphemy law 295-C. Both his wife and daughter have accused him of speaking against Islam.
Anwar’s wife, Kausar Parveen, and their daughter, Samreen, operated a beauty parlour in Lahore. According to reports, Samreen began an affair with a Muslim man and became pregnant. She has since converted to Islam and married the man. All of this happened without the knowledge of Anwar. Once this father found out, he was shocked and upset that the information had been withheld from him. In anger, he allegedly made comments about Islam, which Samreen recorded with her mobile phone. That recording has been turned over to police.
The police have detained Anwar; the mother and daughter have left the house and are hiding at an unknown place.
Nasir Saeed, Director for Centre of Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, stated, “This is another example of the misuse of the blasphemy laws where a daughter gets rid of her father – and a wife, her husband – simply because he cannot accept what they have done.” “It is sad as no matter whether it was pre-planned or not, the fact is that Masih will have to wait years and years to prove himself innocent and has no future. Even if the mother and daughter regret their decision, the family has broken, and it will never be the same again.”
Sources: UCA News, The Irish Catholic, Pakistan Christian Post
- Intercede for this broken family. May God work in miraculous ways to restore these shattered relationships and minister His love and unity among them.
- Pray for Anwar, that he will be strengthened in his faith and trust in the Lord during this time of great difficulty.
- Intercede for the Pakistani authorities; pray the blasphemy laws will be examined and changed to prevent abuse.