Christian leader dies in Pakistan after 13 years of wrongful imprisonment over false blasphemy charges

Islamabad, Oct 7 (IANS) A leading minority rights group on Tuesday highlighted the tragic death of a Christian spiritual leader in Pakistan who spent "13 painful years" behind bars for a crime he did not commit, before being acquitted of false blasphemy charges that had stolen his freedom, health, and peace.

According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), Pastor Zafar Bhatti's death is not an isolated tragedy — it is a mirror of Pakistan's institutionalised persecution of its minorities.

Bhatti died of heart failure on October 5, just two days after his release. His health had been ravaged by years of torment, humiliation, and neglect inside Pakistan's horrific prison system.

The rights body highlighted how his wife Nawab Bibi's grief pierced through the silence of a nation accustomed to such tragedies, stressing that her voice represented not only those of a grieving wife but every Christian, Ahmadi, Hindu, or Shia in Pakistan who lives under constant fear of accusation, violence, or imprisonment

"Pastor Zafar's ordeal began not with evidence, but with accusations born of hatred. Like countless Christians and minorities in Pakistan, he became a target of the country's misused blasphemy laws — laws that have turned faith into a weapon and justice into a farce," the VOPM stated.

"For 13 years, he was locked away in filthy prison cells, denied proper healthcare, and branded a criminal for a crime that never existed. His appeals were delayed, hearings postponed, and his health steadily declined as the state looked away," it added.

The rights body emphasised that Bhatti was one among many who were punished for their faith, accused without evidence, condemned without justice, and forgotten by the very Pakistani society that claims to be democratic.

It added that while Pakistani politicians boast of reforms and international image-building, the truth remains stark -- Pakistan's blasphemy laws continue to destroy innocent lives, with Bhatti's death being the latest tragic example.

"Pastor Zafar Bhatti's story should haunt the conscience of every policymaker in Islamabad. His blood stains the pages of Pakistan's judicial and religious history. Until the blasphemy laws are reformed, until false accusers are punished, and until minorities can live without fear, his death will stand as a moral indictment of the nation that failed him,” the VOPM stressed.

--IANS

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