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
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday it had completed clearing a strategic Hezbollah underground facility beneath the Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon and was preparing the tunnel complex for demolition.
Syria has begun destroying chemical weapons materials left behind by the Assad regime, marking the first known destruction process of its kind in the country in roughly a decade, officials told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.
U.S. lawmakers are raising fresh concerns that China, Russia and other American adversaries could use electromagnetic pulse weapons to cripple the nation’s electrical grid and critical infrastructure, potentially plunging large portions of the country into darkness.
The Pentagon is turning to the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to accelerate missile manufacturing and rebuild U.S. weapons stockpiles strained by months of combat operations and years of military assistance to American allies, according to a Washington Times exclusive.
Tens of thousands of Spaniards poured into streets and public squares across the country Wednesday, protesting the government’s handling of the migrant crisis in Ceuta and demanding stronger protection of Spain’s borders.
Members of a Christian family of nine say they fear for their lives after being freed through court intervention from a brick kiln in eastern Pakistan following 11 years of alleged forced labor, beatings, threats and severely reduced wages.
Slovakia’s government of Prime Minister Robert Fico has approved joining an international commission assessing compensation claims stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite Moscow reportedly warning that such a move would be considered a “hostile act.”