BY MEHR YASIN
LAHORE: Lahore High Court is all set to hear plea of a Christian couple on death row since 2016 for allegedly insulting Muslim’s last Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Imprisoned in the same cell where Asia Bibi, another accused of blasphemy, had been staying for years, Shagufta Kauser and her disabled husband were to appear in the court last Wednesday. However, hearing postponed due to unavoidable circumstances. Next date of hearing isn’t announced yet. However, the couple is confident of getting release soon.
Shagufta Kauser and her disabled husband Shafqat Masih are accused of sending blasphemous text messages to a Muslim cleric despite the fact that both of them are illiterate.
Not only that, but the text messages were written in English – a language that neither or them speak and nor do they have any knowledge of alphanumeric symbols.
Hailing from a poor background which makes them an easy target in Pakistan, Shagufta worked as a cleaner at the church compound where she lived with her husband and 4 young children. She was the only breadwinner as her husband was paralysed from the waist down following an accident in 2004.
Couple’s children are confident of their re-union with parents as they believe their parent’s is even stronger than Asia Bibi’s. To their Goodluck, one of Pakistan’s top Lawyers , Mr. Saif-ul-Malook is representing their parents in the court.
Saif-ul-Malook had represented Asia Bibi in the court and won the case. Despite mass protests against his work and credible threats to his life, Saif ul-Malook keeps going and confident of making the court believe his clients are innocent.
In Pakistan, a Muslim country with 210 million Majority suni-Muslim population, blasphemy is a crime punishable by death. To defend anyone accused of it – especially if they are part of the very poor Christian minority – is to risk a death sentence of one’s own, by mob rule.
Saif ul-Malook, one of Pakistan’s top Lawyers, who represented Asia Bibi – a Christian laborer who stood accused of blasphemy – is once again representing a poor Christian couple on a death row for five years.
Many believe poor Christian couple has strong case and likely to get free by the court. However, the case has put couple’s lawyer’s life in danger who’s receiving death threats from unknown people believed to be hardliner Islamists. However, Saif dam care.
“ I am receiving death threats. But, I am not frightened as I have a lot of support throughout the world for my work which gives me immense strength. I will continue my mission which is providing legal aid to all who are wrongly accused of blasphemy, regardless [of] the threat to my life,’ Saaif-ul-Mulk has recently told local media.
There are no hollow threats.
The international legal fraternity has expressed serious concerns over the security of lawyers in Pakistan.
According to a report compiled by International lawyers organisations including the International Association of People’s Lawyers and the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights prepared at least 11 lawyers have been murdered in Pakistan since March 2018. Between 2004 and 2014, 310 lawyers were killed in five separate attacks.
“Individuals including high-profile lawyer Saif-ul-Malook continues to face a high risk of death or physical harm. Malook received death threats after his client was acquitted,” report stated last year.
Malook also expressed concerns that the judge who handed down the death sentence was intimidated by hard-line lawyers and religious leaders in the community.
Due to his representation of the people accused of committing blasphemy, Malook continues to receive death threats.
Mehr Yasin is Lahore based Freelance journalist