According to his lawyer, a Pakistani judge on Thursday (June 12) acquitted Christian of accusations of blasphemy and terrorism after the prosecution failed to prove his case against him.
Attorney Kashif Nemat said Sahiwal District and Session Judge Jia Ula Khan also chaired the Sahiwal Division’s anti-terrorism court court, and ordered the acquittal of 28-year-old Fahan Jab Mathia. A sacred figure of religion.
Nemat said the police had registered cases against Masih under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) under section 295-A and 298-A of the profanity laws relating to complaints of local Muslim villagers Muhammad Bilal Khan.
“Masi, who developed mental illness due to excessive use of synthetic drugs, was trapped in false charges by the petitioner because his brother Jamal Khan was a Christian friend and was drugged together.” “Bilal Khan essentially wanted to destroy their friendship, so this is why he created a blasphemous asp allegation against Masi.”
Section 295-A seeks imprisonment for up to 10 years for intentional and malicious conduct aimed at angering religious feelings of any class by shaming its religion or religious beliefs. 298-A, punished prison for up to 10 years for disrespect for Muhammad’s wife and companions, a prophet of Islam. Section 7 of the Counter Terrorism Act also includes provisions related to causing public turmoil and uncertainty and is punished by a minimum sentence of five years.
At the start of the trial, the judge refused to grant the defense’s plea for conducting Masi’s mental health tests, adding that the judge also refused to appeal that the trial would be moved from the anti-terrorist court to a regular court.
“In recent years, police have begun to add sections related to terrorism in the blasphemous ASP incident, which is pure injustice against the accused,” he said. “The Sessions Court has the original jurisdiction to hear about the cases of blasphemous Asp, but it is now often tried by the Counterterrorism Court. It has already filed a review petition at the Lahore High Court to seek opinions on this important issue.”
Speaking about the basis for Masi’s innocence, the lawyer said the judge pointed out an inconspicuous in the statements of the petitioner and the prosecutor’s witness.
“In addition, the police station was only 8km away from the crime scene, but after an excessive delay more than five hours after the allegations of the incident, the first information report (FIR) against Masih has been registered,” Nemat said. “This indicates that the petitioner registered an FIR with Mala Fide’s intent.”
Masih was released from prison on Thursday evening (June 12), but he will not be able to return to the village due to security concerns, Nemat said.
“Masi claims he wants to fully recover from his drug addiction and start a new life while he spent time in prison,” Neematt told Christian Daily International Morning Star News. “Sadly, he can’t get home and now has to search for jobs in another district or city.”
A member of the semi-reformed Presbyterian Church in Sahiwal, Masi completed a four-year nursing course and worked in a hospital, but was fired in 2023 due to mental illness and drug addiction.
Tehmina Arora, Asian advocacy director at ADF International, praised Masih’s acquittal and said he was grateful that justice was done and that poor Christians were reunited with his family.
“However, the Pakistani government and senior judiciary must investigate this trend of combining terrorist accusations and blasphemy,” Alora told Star News for Christian Daily International Morning. “This combination makes people more vulnerable to unfounded accusations.”
ADF International provided financial and advocacy assistance to the legal team advocating for Masih.
Arora also emphasized that the mental health of those accused of blasphemy is justified.
“People suffering from mental disorders charged with a blasphemy are more vulnerable to abuse of charges,” she said.
A nearly entire spectrum of mental disorders can cause a variety of mental and behavioral violations that could fall into Pakistani blasphemous asp laws, she said.
“In the case of the blasphemy, the intent of conviction must be proven, but unfortunately many people in Pakistan, including women who fall into the crazy category, continue to be prosecuted because their mental state has not been considered by the court,” she added.
Under Pakistani blasphemy law, those convicted of insulting Muhammad, the Islamic prophet, have not been sentenced to death for the blasphemy, but could be sentenced to death.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks against suspects of blasphemous Asp. ASP accusations or mere rumors could escalate to murder and riots by Muslim mobs. Rights observers recorded a record 344 new cases of blasphemous ASP in Pakistan in 2024, highlighting the rise in abuse of the country’s accused blasphemous ASP law.
According to the annual Human Rights Observer Report published by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), out of 344 new cases of blasphemous Asp, 70% of the accused were Muslims, 6% Christians, 9% Hindus, and 14% Ahmadis.
“The blatant weaponization of blasphemous laws has continued to allow persecution, religious intolerance and widespread human rights violations,” the report states.
Over the past 38 years, at least 2,793 people have been accused of formally or informally blaspheming between 1987 and 2024. The report said at least 104 people were exorbitantly killed following the blasphemous ASP allegations between 1994 and 2024.
With a Muslim population of over 96%, Pakistan ranked 8th on the 2025 World Watchlist, where it is the hardest place to become a Christian.
