LHC frees blasphemy accused after 14 years

Staff Report

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Khawaja Muhammad Sharif on Thursday quashed a blasphemy case against a mentally retarded woman, Zaibunnisa, and ordered her release from the Punjab Institute of Mental Health.

A case of desecration of the holy Quran was registered with Sahala police on October 26, 1996, against unidentified people. Later, police nominated Zaibunnisa as the accused, and arrested her.

The CJ observed that advocate Aftab Ahmed Bajwa brought the matter to the court’s notice otherwise she would have perished in jail.

The complainant in the case, Qari Hafeez, had failed to give a satisfactory reply in court as to why a mentally disabled woman was set up in this case. The CJ observed that the treatment meted out to the woman was an insult to humanity and the government, and that civil organisations should be vigilant enough to help such people.

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