Another Teenage Booked for Blasphemy in Karachi Pakistan

Describing the trend as very dangerous, in which the Christians were also being targeted, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chief Zohra Yousaf said that people had become very scared.

Courtesy: tribune.com.pk

(ISLAMABAD, Pakistan) - Rimsha’s case is still grabbing the headlines, and another case of blasphemy was reported to police on Wednesday, 10th October.

The house of accused Ryan Brain Patris (boy) was ransacked and furniture was set on fire in a violent protest, this time was not in a slum but in a middle-class neighborhood of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Karachi.

The Christian boy Ryan Brain who is 15-years old, has been accused of sending text messages containing ‘blasphemous’ content to his Muslim friends.

The incident took place in the staff colony of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) located at the junction of University Road and Abu al Hasan Ispahani Road, Karachi.

Police said that the boy was accused by the residents that he had sent text messages containing blasphemous content to his Muslim friends.

As the SMS reportedly circulated among the residents of the colony comprising workers and officers, they eventually attacked the residential quarter of Ryan Brain, 15, and his mother, Rubina Bryan, on Wednesday, police said. Ms Bryan worked as a superintendent at the SSGC, they added.

The SMS had been sent on Tuesday night.

However, apparently after realizing the gravity of the situation the family had vacated the house and been placed in a safe place, said a senior police officer of the area.

“Had they not left the house, the situation could have been really bad,” the officer observed.

On Wednesday, the enraged people ransacked the house and set fire to the household articles, including the bed, washing machine and fridge, after bringing them out on to the main University Road.

The protesters also raised slogans against the family.

After the turmoil, police reached the scene and tried to appease the protesters assuring them that police would register the case.

A case (FIR No 432/2012) under Section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet) of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Section 25 of the Telegraph Act was later registered at the Mobina Town police station.

A duty officer of the police station said the FIR was registered against Ryan Stanten, son of Ms Bryan, a resident of SSGC staff colony on a complaint of SSGC chief manager Khursheed Alam.

People scared

Describing the trend as very dangerous, in which the Christians were also being targeted, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chief Zohra Yousaf said that people had become very scared.

Earlier in August, a 14-year-old Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, had been accused of blasphemy by a cleric in a suburban neighbourhood of Islamabad. She was finally released by a court and had to be airlifted to an undisclosed location for security reasons.

Earlier in 2009, under FIR No. 767, dated 28.11.2008 under sections 295-c/109 PPC, 25-D Telegraph act, Pakistani Additional Session Judge, Muhammad Sarfraz Akhter in Rawalpindi has acquitted the accused Hector Aleem, Basharat Khokhar and Robin Masih in the same kind of case.

The court stated in its order, “in nutshell on the basis of illegalities committed by investigating agency of the police and prosecution agency the prosecution has failed to prove the charge against all the said accused persons. They are therefore, hereby acquitted of the charge.

About Shamim Masih

"I am Christian rights activist and freelancer Pakistani journalist specializing in writing about Christians rights for the different papers in the world. My aim is to create a peaceful environment in the society and to help eliminate Christian persecution through my writing as I bring the plight of these brave people under the spotlight of the whole world."

Shamim Masih was born in Sheikhopura's village and raised in Gujranwala, a city in Pakistan's Punjab province. He earned his Bachelors Degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore majoring in English, Economics and Statistics; he also received a Masters Degree in Business Administration.

As a freelance writer and author, Shamim has written for different papers in the world; his expertise is in writing articles highlighting different social issues. He has served as freelance chief reporter and column writer in “Minority Times” in Islamabad, and a number of Shamim's articles have been published in local papers as well.

You can write to Shamim at this address: shamimpakistan@gmail.com