Karachi, Sep 30: A group of Muslims suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple in southern Pakistan may be charged with blasphemy, police said on Sunday. The case is a rare twist on the use of the country's harsh blasphemy laws, which are more often invoked against supposed offenses to Islam as opposed to minority faiths.
The laws, sections of which carry the death penalty or life imprisonment, have drawn renewed international scrutiny this year after a young Christian girl in Islamabad was alleged to have desecrated the Quran. A Muslim cleric now stands accused of fabricating evidence against the girl, who has been freed on bail. Police officer Mohammad Hanif said the anti-Hindu attack took place September 21, 2012. The government had declared that day a national holiday a “Day of Love for the Prophet” and called on people to demonstrate peacefully against a U.S.-made anti-Islam film that has sparked protests throughout the Muslim world. Those rallies took a violent turn in Pakistan, and more than 20 people were killed.
“The attackers broke the statues of (Hindu deities) Radha, Hanuman, Parvati and Krishna, and took away the decorative gold ornaments,” Maharaj, a Hindu leader said. “They also stormed my home and snatched the gold jewellery of my family, my daughters.”
Mr. Maharaj and other Hindu leaders turned to the police, who registered a case against a cleric and eight other Muslims. But none of the suspects had been found as of Sunday, Mr. Hanif said.
The police officer said the case against the attackers was registered under Section 295-A of the blasphemy laws, which covers the “outraging of religious feelings.” That section of the law can carry a fine or up to 10 years imprisonment, but, if the case were to proceed, it's unclear exactly what punishment would be imposed.
