An elderly woman was evicted by her landlord in the Chakwal city of Pakistan’s Punjab province, after her son, who is reportedly mentally unstable, was arrested by police on allegations of blasphemy. According to Dawn, the incident took place in one of the city’s underprivileged areas earlier this week.
The arrested man worked as a tailor and was facing financial difficulties while struggling to pay his family’s debts. During this time, he became mentally unwell and began to “behave strangely,” according to his friends and family. Due to his mental illness, the owner of the shop where he worked eventually fired him on October 30. Upon hearing that he was fired, the man went to an adjacent room and uttered a few words that were deemed “blasphemous” by two of his co-workers. A blasphemy case was then registered against him under Section 295C of the CrPC and Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), after which he was arrested by Chakwal police.
According to the accused’s mother, her incarcerated son is mentally ill and “had been behaving strangely for the last six months.” Friends and neighbors of the family confirmed that the young man was dealing with a mental disorder. The woman’s late husband worked at a brick kiln, and the family has lived in Chakwal for more than 30 years. After his father’s death a few years ago, the arrested man had been supporting the family financially. Following her son’s arrest, the woman now faces additional financial challenges, as she has been evicted from their home by the landlord, who stated that he wanted her gone as soon as he heard about the blasphemy case.
A report released by the U.S.-based Clooney Foundation for Justice in September noted that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are often misused, leading to numerous defendants facing unfounded charges, drawn-out legal struggles, and extended pre-trial incarceration. Judges hearing blasphemy cases proceed cautiously to avoid upsetting religious groups.
