The Voice received an information on 29-08-14 in the afternoon about an awful incidence of Blasphemy under section 295 B of Pakistan Penal Code for burning the Holy Quran and desecration of Holy Quran was occurred in Maqbool Colony Bahawalpur, about 450 kms away from Lahore. The Voice team comprised of Mr. Shahid Anthony, Mr. Napolean Qayyum, Mr. Imran Barkat and Mr. Imran Zafar went for the fact finding of the case.
<b>Fact finding Report:</b>
The Voice team reached in Bahawalpur at about 9:00pm in the night. They went to see the families of the victims in the night. At first they met the family of Javed Masih s/o Sohan Masih. The wife of Javed Masih named Malika bibi met the Voice team and told them about the facts;
<b>Malika Bibi’s statement, (Javed Masih’s wife):</b>
Malika bibi wife of Javed Masih told the Voice team that Javed and her family were converted from Hinduism to Christianity about 7 years ago. She also told that Hindus often convert from Hinduism to Christianity and mostly Muslims have issues about our conversions. They feel jealous and bad about our conversions to Christianity; they want us to become Muslims. But we all prefer Christianity because Christians accept us after conversion but Muslims do not accept us, they just want to marry our daughters. Therefore from the time we embraced Christianity Muslims were already against us.
Regarding the case she told the Voice that we did not knew about any such occurrence before the police arrested Javed. Javed is working in the school from last 18 years. From the last 18 years it is the routine of Javed that he goes early at about 5:00am for cleaning the school and the classes and returns home at about 7:00am then he takes his shower and breakfast and return to school after 9:00am and then continues his work for the rest of the day”.
Even on the day of occurrence he went for cleaning early in the morning and came back at 7:00am. Everything was fine and there were no signs of burning any single paper or anything. Everything was fine and he went back to his work at 9:00am. Then suddenly at about 11:30am the police came to the school and arrested Javed and Anand lal another Hindu co-worker. Then suddenly the Islamic groups headed by Allama Shafqat al-Rehman secretary General Jamiat-e-Ulma-e-Islam, Maulana Muhammad Ishaq Saqi Majlis tahafuz Khatam-e-nabuat and other Islamic organization gathered our house which is near by the school and wanted to burn and kill my son Sharaib who is just 08 years old. But I managed to escape along with my children Sharaib, Danish aged about 3 years, Samar aged about 6 years, to my brother’s house.
<b>Statement of Razia Bibi (Mother of Javed Masih):</b>
Razia Bibi told the Voice team that Javed is innocent and is only persecuted because of his faith. “My son is totally uneducated and he cannot even tell read the difference between Quran and Bible, people are trying to probe him into the Blasphemy”. We need prayers and legal help.
<b>Statement of Radha Bibi: (Sister of Javed Masih): </b>
Radha bibi said, my brother is innocent, please help him and release us from this trouble.
<b>Statement of Chanda Bibi (Anand Lal’s wife):</b>
Chanda Bibi told The Voice team that she along with her Husband Anand lal and Children Sudesh lal aged 12 years, Mukesh lal aged 11years, Hina lal aged 14years were residing in the servant quarters of the Elementary school from about 18years. Whereas the school administration wanted us to vacate the quarter within one month but we had nowhere to go, she also said that Anand Lal is innocent and is working as the peon to the principal and has nothing to do with the classes or with the cleaning of the school. He is being drawn into the matter for no reason. Please help us and release Anand lal from this tragedy because he is the only earning hand of the family.
<b>Findings of the Voice team: </b>
According to the fact finding, the Voice team concluded that there are a number of unspecified things in the registration of such FIR and allegations of 295 B. No doubt the Holy Quran is desecrated, and the charts were burnt but the things seems to be pre-planned, because first of all both the workers were uneducated and had nothing to do with the paper work or chart papers as the FIR is claiming that charts having Holy verses written on them were burnt and the Holy Quran was desecrated. Now the question arises that where the Holy Quran does came from in the 7th standard classroom. While there was no body in the class, secondly immediately after the acknowledgement of the burnt Holy papers in the classroom the Islamic organizations like JUI (Jamait-e-Ulema e Islam) and Majlis-e-tahafaz-e-khatam-e-naboat reached at the spot while the Holy papers were burning, and there was nobody in the school except the principal and the administrative staff who were sitting in their offices that time. And instantly the police came at the spot and arrested two men one sweeper and the other peon named Javed and Anand.
Another noticeable aspect of the case, as told by the locals and the other residents of the school is that the administration was facing some serious issues regarding the finance of the Elementary school and they were planning to burn the record, and two days before this incidence the attendance registers in the school were also burnt but still nobody knows that how did they got fire.
The Voice society has took up the case and has filed a writ in the Bahawalpur high court for the fair investigation of the case through the senior and trained panel of senior officers of Police and includes at least one magistrate. The Voice will file the post arrest bail of the accused/victims as soon as the investigation is completed.
<b>Reported by,</b>
<b>The Voice Society</b>
