Pakistan police arrest Christian man for blasphemy

Lahore: A Christian man has been arrested here for allegedly posting blasphemous comments in a blog he wrote in 2011, just days after a Pakistani couple, belonging to the same faith, was charred to death for alleged blasphemy.

The 40-year-old Qaisar Ayub, who holds a Masters degree in Computer Sciences, has been shifted to Chakwal district in Punjab province, where a case was registered against him in 2011 for posting blasphemous comments on a Christian website he was moderating. Ayub had gone into hiding after the police case was registered.

The arrest comes just days after the killing of a Christian couple for alleged blasphemy in Kot Radha Kishan area near here on November 4.

Meanwhile, Dawn reported that two brothers- Imran and Irfan- wanted for the killing of the couple have been arrested from their relative's home in Qadir Colony in Pirmahal in Punjab last night.

Police have already arrested nearly 50 villagers believed to be part of the mob that beat the couple to death and then burnt then by throwing in a brick kiln. The 25-year-old woman victim, Shama, was pregnant at the time of the incident.

The horrific killings sparked outrage and human rights watchdogs like Amnesty International demanded justice for the murdered couple and condemned the Pakistan government for failing to protect its minorities.

"Those responsible must be brought to justice and the Pakistani authorities have to ensure at-risk communities are pro-actively given the protection they need," Amnesty International has said in a statement.

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws were introduced by the former dictator Zia-ul-Haq in 1980s and has been a source of continuous victimisation for the country's minority communities, who are often lynched by mobs even before their guilt is proven in the courts.