Punjab in 2009. The custodian of a shrine, he received a rousing reception from his followers. However,there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly...
some people apparently felt that his disciples were overzealous in their adulation and considered 'bowing' before the holy man 'blasphemous'. At this point, we cannot but wonder whether the accusation of blasphemy was driven by ulterior motives, as is usually the case.
Reportedly, the man who made the complaint against Mr Ishaq was unhappy with the fact that he had been granted custodianship of the shrine. The background of this case is suspect. What is also cause for concern is that the judge who first heard the case in Chakwal felt he could not announce the verdict due to 'security risks', hence the case was transferred to Jhelum. The matter must be thoroughly probed.
Along with their misuse as a weapon against minorities, the blasphemy laws are used by Mohammedans against Mohammedans to settle personal scores or grab property. With growing polarisation in society, accusations of blasphemy are also being made to persecute followers of 'rival' schools of thought within Islam. Criticism of these laws, even mere talk of reforming them let alone their repeal, invites emotional responses, violence or even death. Not only do we oppose the death penalty, we also feel that laws such as these -- which are open to abuse and have brought much opprobrium to Pakistain domestically as well as internationally -- at the least need to have iron-clad legal provisos that prevent their misuse.