Chand (middle) and his family have been through very challenging times. csi
Chand Shamaun, a 26-year-old ambulance driver from a Christian quarter in Punjab Province, was arrested on June 23, 2024. The police were reportedly called after Chand had a public disagreement with his brother over the division of inherited property. Matters rapidly escalated when a local resident accused Chand of desecrating a copy of the Qur’an despite other residents denying that any such thing had occurred.
The accusations meant that instead of charging Chand with disturbance of the peace, the police brought charges against him under Section 295-A of Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy laws, which criminalizes deliberate acts intended to offend religious sentiments. He was also charged under Section 9 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, aimed at preventing sectarian hatred. These charges can result in jail terms of up to 10 years and seven years, respectively.
Chand’s arrest caused panic among local Christian families, who feared violent reactions from Islamist groups and temporarily left the Christian colony, CSI’s local sources reported.
Their fears were justified. In August 2024, the Christian teenage twin brothers Rahil and Sahil Masih were also falsely accused of tearing pages from a copy of the Qur’an. The accusation led to a violent mob storming their village, and threatening to burn down the family home.
Family’s ordeal
Chand spoke to CSI about the “devastating turn of events,” that the false allegations had set in motion. The young father was detained for over three and a half months, leaving his wife Shiza alone with their two small children.
“Being imprisoned made it almost impossible for my family to cope, both emotionally and financially,” Chand said.
“I couldn’t control my emotions when I heard about the false blasphemy accusation against my husband,” added Shiza. “It was unbearable, and I developed psychological issues due to the stress… But I thank God for reuniting our family after Chand’s acquittal.”
The lawyer argued to the court that the witness statements against Chand were contradictory, and that many of the witnesses could not be shown to have been present for the alleged “crime.” He also pointed out that the police did not register the case against Chand until 13 hours after the incident – a suspiciously long delay.
After Chand had spent three months in jail, the lawyer was able to get him bail. On May 10, he was acquitted – a rare victory against Pakistan’s blasphemy law regime.
Misuse of blasphemy laws
Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws criminalize a range of offences against Islam, including defiling the Qur’an and insulting the prophet of Islam. The latter carries the death sentence.
Since Pakistan’s current blasphemy laws came into force in 1987, nearly 2,000 people have been accused of blasphemy, according to a report from 2022; 86 people have been extrajudicially murdered after being accused.
The blasphemy laws have created a climate of impunity for religious terror in Pakistan. Bad actors can easily weaponize false blasphemy accusations, which are difficult to disprove, and these can quickly give rise to religious conflict as mobs take the law into their own hands.
Religious minorities and people of low social status are particularly vulnerable to abuses of the blasphemy laws and are often unable to afford a legal defense.
The number of blasphemy prosecutions in Pakistan is surging – in part owing to a sharp increase in allegations of “online blasphemy” brought by vigilante groups against young people, often Christians.
