by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A second Christian charged with blasphemy in Pakistan was released on bail pending trial last week after a court found there was no direct evidence in the three cases brought against him, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.
The father of a four-year-old daughter, Zimran Asim was released on October 29 after the Lahore High Court granted bail on September 24 in the third blasphemy case registered against him, his attorney Aneeqa Maria said in a statement. The high court had granted him bail in the other two cases on July 29 and April 24, CDI reports.
“Asim was implicated only because he was seen once with the primary accused, Akash Masih,” Maria said. “Zimran Asim’s case is a fitting example of how innocent people are implicated in false cases by individuals as well as the police. This poor man was forced to suffer in prison, away from his family for over one year. They also lost their home and can’t even think of going back to their village.”
“I believe the blatant misuse of the laws has made the situation equally dangerous for blasphemy accused, their defense counsels as well as rights defenders,” Maria added. “The government must take this issue seriously in order to protect innocent lives and break this environment of fear.”
Asim became the second Christian charged with blasphemy to be released on bail after a high court found there major defects in the case against Chand Shamaun, who was freed on October 23. Shamaun is accused of inciting religious tensions in Okara, Punjab Province, by threatening to desecrate the Quran, CDI reports.
Ruled by an Islamic government which has approved harsh blasphemy laws, Pakistan ranks 7 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Israeli special forces captured a senior Hamas internal security chief Tuesday during a rare daylight raid in Gaza City, marking one of Israel’s most significant intelligence operations inside the enclave in recent months.
A 32-year-old Bank of America vice president has been identified as the woman killed in an apparently random stabbing attack in New York City’s Times Square that also wounded a 68-year-old man.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term government funding bill Tuesday, sending the measure to President Donald Trump’s desk and averting the immediate threat of a federal shutdown before the November midterm elections.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned international airlines and insurers that Russian airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous as Ukraine expands long-range drone and missile attacks in response to Moscow’s invasion.
Germany has accused Russia of carrying out a “hybrid attack” involving an explosives-laden drone found near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting Berlin to close a Russian consulate and cultural center.
Haitians were demanding answers after hundreds of mourners crowded into a church near the capital for the funeral of four of 47 people killed in one of the country’s deadliest recent gang attacks, which also devastated a Christian community and displaced thousands.
The United States launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian targets Tuesday as tensions escalated in and around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil-shipping corridors, according to The Wall Street Journal.