Pakistani court acquits blind Catholic man in blasphemy case

Christians and rights advocates in Pakistan have welcomed the acquittal of a blind Catholic man who spent nearly 10 months in jail on a blasphemy charge carrying a mandatory death sentence.

A sessions court in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, on June 22 cleared 49-year-old Nadeem Masih, who is blind by birth, of charges under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which criminalizes insults against the Prophet Muhammad.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Saad Salman Khan dismissed the case after finding insufficient evidence to support the prosecution’s allegations.

Masih had been in custody since August 2025. His family alleges the accusation stemmed from a dispute with contractors at Nawaz Sharif Park, where he earned a living operating a weighing scale for visitors. The family said the contractors harassed him and demanded money.

Fearing reprisals, relatives have since moved to a shelter and were unavailable for comment.

Defense attorney Javed Sahotra said the prosecution’s own evidence undermined its case.

“The police report stated they received information about the alleged blasphemy at 11 p.m., although the park closes at 9 p.m. Two prosecution witnesses also gave statements that raised serious questions about the allegations,” he told EWTN News.

Sahotra said imprisonment had been especially difficult for Masih because of his disability.

“He spent 10 distressing months in prison. Simple daily tasks such as using the toilet and obtaining food were major challenges,” the lawyer said.

“The case demonstrates how vulnerable people can become entangled in serious criminal accusations. Even a poor blind man was not spared.”

Blasphemy remains one of Pakistan’s most sensitive issues and has frequently triggered mob violence against religious minorities, including attacks on homes and places of worship.

According to the annual report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 812 people were imprisoned on blasphemy-related charges in Punjab during 2025, including 796 men, 15 women, and one juvenile.

Christian advocacy groups say eight Christians, including two women, were acquitted or granted bail in blasphemy cases during the first half of 2026, all in Punjab province.

Over the past five years, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has helped secure the acquittal of 15 people accused of blasphemy — 10 Christians and five Muslims, including three women.

Anjum James Paul, a CSI partner who helped coordinate legal and financial support for Masih’s family, attributed many acquittals to careful legal preparation.

“We maintain a low profile during such trials because of the sensitivity of these cases,” Paul said.

“One of the lawyers representing Masih is a Hafiz-e-Quran [a person who has memorized the entire Quran]. Having Muslim lawyers on defense teams can help reduce pressure because some district bar associations discourage lawyers from taking blasphemy cases.”

Paul also called for authorities to implement court directives requiring the involvement of qualified religious scholars and senior police officers in preliminary blasphemy investigations.

A support group formed by families affected by alleged false blasphemy accusations welcomed the verdict in a social media statement issued hours after the ruling.

The Voice of the Victims of Blasphemy Business Group described the acquittal as a rare example of a lower court dismissing a blasphemy case and expressed hope that courts were becoming less vulnerable to public pressure in such cases.

The group alleged that Masih had been falsely accused following a dispute with park management and said the verdict offered encouragement to other families fighting blasphemy allegations.

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistani-court-acquits-blind-catholic-man-in-blasphemy-case