a sessions court in Karachi sentenced Ali Hyder to life imprisonment for desecrating the Holy Quran in 2021. Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Shahid Ali Memon found the accused guilty, ruling that the prosecution had convincingly proven the charge of defiling copies of the Quran under Section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
“All the prime witnesses had fully supported the case regarding the date of offense, time of the offense, arrest of accused, seizure of property, etc. In other words, it can safely be said that all the witnesses, including the complainant, had corroborated each other, and the learned defense counsel made cross-examination upon them, but he has not been able to cause any dent to their evidence,” the judge said.
Hyder was accused of desecrating the pages of the Quran. A complaint was filed, and he was arrested shortly after. During the trial, the prosecution presented eight witnesses and contended that the evidence against Hyder was overwhelming and called for a conviction.
The defense pointed out an unexplained delay in filing the complaint and noted that no members of the public had reported the incident to the police that day.
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan can be weaponized during disputes or to target Christian minorities unfairly. Currently, there are 198 individuals who are in jail or on trial for blasphemy charges in Pakistan, according to a 2023 report from the U.S. Department of State.
