Pakistan is going through so many crises right now that any small event brings a spark of hope especially when it has to do with blasphemy. In most cases of dubious blasphemy charges the role of ulema in Pakistan has not been a positive one.
However, the announcement by a group of ulema to support a female Christian employee of the Civil Aviation Authority against false blasphemy charges levelled by a co-worker is therefore a welcome development.
According to Dawn, “The woman was accosted by the male co-worker after she reportedly did not allow him access to a part of the Karachi airport as the man was in a vehicle without a number plate. To this ‘affront’, the man threatened to implicate the woman in a false blasphemy case. The brave officer must be commended for doing her job and not caving into threats, while the individual responsible for making this false, incendiary accusation must face the law.”
As human rights activists have long argued, if there were strict punishments for those levelling false blasphemy charges, perhaps this disturbing trend could be contained, and many lives saved.
