Lahore - A Pakistani Christian was charged
with blasphemy on Monday after his Muslim
friend alleged he had sent a poem on
WhatsApp that insulted Islam, police said.
Yasir Bashir said Nadeem James had sent
him a poem on the messaging app that was
derogatory about the Prophet Muhammad
and other holy figures.
"Police have registered a case on blasphemy
charges against Nadeem James and are
searching for him as he has fled his home,"
a local law enforcement official told AFP on
condition of anonymity due to the sensitive
nature of the matter.
Another police official said that James'
relatives had been taken into "protective
custody" and that there was increased
security in Christian neighbourhoods in the
town of Sara-i-Almgeer, around 160km
north of Lahore, because of local tension
arising from Bashir's complaint.
Such allegations can trigger beatings and
mob violence in the conservative country,
which has strict blasphemy laws including
the death penalty for insulting the prophet.
A Christian couple were lynched then burnt
in a kiln in Punjab in 2014 after being
falsely accused of desecrating the Koran.
Rights campaigners say blasphemy laws are
often used to settle personal disputes in the
Muslim-majority country.
with blasphemy on Monday after his Muslim
friend alleged he had sent a poem on
WhatsApp that insulted Islam, police said.
Yasir Bashir said Nadeem James had sent
him a poem on the messaging app that was
derogatory about the Prophet Muhammad
and other holy figures.
"Police have registered a case on blasphemy
charges against Nadeem James and are
searching for him as he has fled his home,"
a local law enforcement official told AFP on
condition of anonymity due to the sensitive
nature of the matter.
Another police official said that James'
relatives had been taken into "protective
custody" and that there was increased
security in Christian neighbourhoods in the
town of Sara-i-Almgeer, around 160km
north of Lahore, because of local tension
arising from Bashir's complaint.
Such allegations can trigger beatings and
mob violence in the conservative country,
which has strict blasphemy laws including
the death penalty for insulting the prophet.
A Christian couple were lynched then burnt
in a kiln in Punjab in 2014 after being
falsely accused of desecrating the Koran.
Rights campaigners say blasphemy laws are
often used to settle personal disputes in the
Muslim-majority country.
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