Guilty until proven innocent: the sacrilegious nature of blasphemy laws in Pakistan (original) (raw)

The death sentence delivered in late December to Pakistani professor and scholar, Junaid Hafeez, on unsound allegations of blasphemy, sent shockwaves of indignation throughout the international community, eliciting the United Nations’ prompt response, which condemned the verdict as a “travesty of justice”. Contrary to some unduly auspicious expectations that the preceding release of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, who was on death row for blasphemy charges, yet eventually acquitted, has been a watershed moment in the history of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, the current reality remains grim. For the purposes of further analyzing the abovementioned dismal situation, this paper will explore the legal background and genesis of the blasphemy laws of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, examine them through the socio-economic and political spectrums of the time and illuminate their grievous consequences, which more than often result in grave miscarriages of justice, the erroneous detention and conviction of innocent people, and vigilantism and mob violence. The Pakistani Justitia seems not to wear the blindfold when measuring accusations of blasphemy on her scales; on the contrary, her judgments appear to be clouded by personal vendetta, prejudice against minorities, self-interest, envy and power, turning the courtroom in an arena of hostility, instead of fairness and impartiality, perpetuating a subsequent cycle of labeling and demonization, which translates into lifelong emotional trauma and persecution, even for those found innocent.