Court adjourns hearing of Rimsha Masih case until Monday
Saturday, September 1st, 2012 3:12:51 by Faisal Farooq
A local court on Saturday adjourned hearing of Rimsha Masih case, who is accused of blasphemy, until September 03.
The girl, who was arrested in a poor Islamabad suburb more than two weeks ago accused of burning papers containing verses from the Holy Quran, will have to wait until Monday to learn whether she will given bail or not.
The court resumed the hearing of bail plea of the young girl where an application from the mother of the accused girl, Irshad Bibi was represented.
She sought replacement of Anjum Riaz Advocate with Tahir Naveed Advocate to represent the case.
The prosecutors claimed that paperwork had not been signed by the girl or her moth after which Judge Muhammad Azam Khan adjourned the case to Monday, asking the police to investigate a bail-application made on the girls’s behalf.
Counsel for the young girl Tahir Naveed Chaudhry while speaking to the media outside the court accused prosecutors and lawyers for her accuser of delaying tactics.
He observed, “The medical report has declared her an underage person with low IQ level. How can she commit blasphemy? She is innocent and should be released”.
Earlier, a medical report said the girl appeared to be around 14 years old, which would make her a minor, and had a mental age below her true age. However, the court has yet to decide whether to accept the assessment.
According to some media reports, the girl has Down’s Syndrome and her case has prompted concern from Western governments and anger from rights groups.
Blasphemy is a very sensitive subject in the Pakistan, where 97 per cent of the 180 million population are Muslims, and allegations of insulting Islam or the Prophet Mohammad often prompt a furious public reaction.
Tags: Anjum Niaz, Blasphemy law, Down’s Syndrome, Holy Quran, Irshad Bibi, Islamabad, Judge Muhammad Azam Khan, Muslims, Rimsha Masih, Tahir Naveed ChaudhryShort URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=31979
Posted by Faisal Farooq
on Sep 1 2012. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan, Society.
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