Ms Sherry Rehman, former federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting has called for an immediate inquiry into the death of Fanish Masih, who was found dead three days after he was arrested on charges of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sambarial last week.
“Fanish Masih’s death, whether it was a suicide or a murder case is most tragic as it demonstrates the misery suffered by our citizens when they face an institutional denial of fundamental rights,” said Ms Sherry Rehman extending her heartfelt condolences to the 25-year-old Masih’s family and to the Christian Community of Pakistan. Ms Rehman said that Masihs death is yet another example of the damage that religious biases and conflicts cause to peace, harmony and well being of the society.
The PPP Parliamentarian expressed concern at the reservations raised by Masih’s family over the cause of his death and the alleged involvement of the local police set up that is being accused of torturing Masih to death. Alleged torture marks on his body add to the gravity of the charges. This is extremely disturbing, since a continuing and deep mistrust of state institutions that are supposed to protect citizens will not lead to social justice . This is a Pakistan Peoples Partys Government that is deeply committed to the protection of minorities and to accord them all rights as full citizens. It is very important that charges against the district police officer (DPO) of Sialkot are thoroughly investigated and the findings made public, because state institutions cannot be allowed to violate basic human and constitutional rights of citizens.”
Ms Sherry Rehman expressed the hope that this tragedy would lead the Muslim and the Christian communities to work together to develop a framework to avoid such incidents to be hijacked by reactionaries to further their agenda of spreading violence and unrest in the society. We would be honouring the victims of the Gojra and the Sambarial tragedies, if we turn this unfortunate episode into an opportunity to address all such issues that contribute to fuelling resentment and strife among communities. As a new democratic society, we must demonstrate our commitment to resolve disputes peacefully.
Ms Rehman stressed that the role of the state is extremely important, not only in protecting the minorities and the citizens, but also in developing structures that augment social cohesion and understanding between different groups and followers of varying ideologies. While the state should handle its service-delivery responsibilities neutrally, in a society such as ours, where successive dictatorial rulers have created deep social, political, religious and ethnic divides, it is very important that the state takes up an added responsibility of healing wounds and cementing the fragmented structures that characterize our social equations.”
Ms Sherry Rehman repeated her call for a review of the current Blasphemy Laws. “All those arrested following the Sambarial unrest were bound to face trial under the Blasphemy Laws, if charges against them were proved in the investigation. This would have meant another round of suffering and a sure death penalty or life imprisonment, since our justice structure offers very little space to those accused of blasphemy to prove their innocence. We cannot let these laws continue to violate human rights and become a tool in the hands of extremist forces and vested interests to target our citizens. There is a broad consensus in the civil society, the media and the general public against these laws. As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to fulfil our obligation to provide constitutional protection to the minorities and address the issues that have repeatedly damaged our social relations as citizens of Pakistan.
