A Christian teenager, Nabeel Masih has been entangled in a blasphemy case. 16-years-old, Nabeel Masih son of Amanat Masih is resident of Chak 66, Bhai Pheru, district Kasur in the Punjab province. The accusers have invoked blasphemy under sections 295, and 295 A against him, causing terror among Christians in the accused boy’s neighborhood on Sunday 18th September 2016.
The Voice was contacted by some people from the neighborhood of Nabeel Masih and they expressed the fear of customary reprisal by the Muslim’s community of the surroundings as there are only 25-30 houses of Christians in the aforesaid village.
The Voice team reached the Police station and met the station House officer (SHO) of the Police station in Phoolnagar Mr. Shahbaz Ahmad Dogar, he told that the police have controlled all the disputed situation and planned conflicts in the area. He said for the safety of the people and of the accused it was necessary to register a case against Nabeel. He further told that the Police have sent Nabeel to the Judicial Remand right away in order to secure him from the extra judicial killing or any harm.
He said, there’s a Punishment for this offence in the law and if the offence is proved than Nabeel will be punished so we have no right to take law in our hands. Police have fulfilled its duty in a peaceful manner and the Police is vigilant in the area to protect all people from any harm. The Voice team after meeting the SHO reached at the place of occurrence and met some local people and the respectable of the village. The Voice team met Dr. Nazir Gill in the village who is the prior elected counsellor of the village and also serving as a pastor and doctor in the area. He told the Voice team that he knows Nabeel and his family from Nabeel’s childhood, his mother has died and they are six brothers and sisters among which one eldest sister is married and the rest are unmarried. He said that they are extremely poor people and have no means to get any legal help or even food. Nabeel’s father is a worker at the poultry feeds and is about to retire, where as one of Nabeel’s brother Wakeel got seriously injured few months ago in the Monson season as he was burnt by the electric shock on his workplace where the Muslim co-workers and the in-charge forced him to clean the place under the transformers and he got severe shock and was about to die but Thank God he gave us enough courage and sources to help him ourselves. He further told The Voice team that Nabeel is a reasonable boy, as a teenager he is much more civilized as compared to the boys of his age. He never mocked or made fun of any one’s religion or even otherwise he has never done any mischief to hurt the feelings of the others, in My opinion it is a mischief of any of his friends who shared a picture of Holy- Kabba the Sacred place of Muslim doing some derogatory alterations in the picture and he shared it with his friends to show them that what somebody has done with the sacred place of Holy kabba. Whereas his Muslim friends have held him responsible for doing all this.
The Voice team than went to meet the family of the accused Nabeel at the place where they were hiding. The father and the siblings of Nabeel were very scared and had no idea what to do or how to deal with the situation. The paternal Aunt Martha Bibi was crying and begging for help. Adv. Aneeqa ensured them that justice will be served to them rightly and the Voice team is there to help them. The Voice supported them financially and morally, prayed for them. The Voice team will provide them all the legal assistance and support where ever required necessarily.
