Lahore (AsiaNews) – The plight of Yousaf Masih is worsening. Masih is the latest Christian to fall victim of the Pakistani blasphemy law. In an interview with AsiaNews, Shabaz Bhatti, president of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), denounced the worrying conditions in which the 60-year-old man is detained. Batti recently met Masih for an hour: he could see the man was "sick, weak and scared about his future and that of his family".

Yousaf Masih was arrested on 28 June in Nowshera, a small city east of Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). A sweeper, he had been asked to burn some papers, including some with verses of the Koran. As he was illiterate, he did not know what they were.

Bhatti said the man was tortured first at the police station and later in prison: "We are very worried for his life because those condemned for blasphemy are not even safe in prison. The director of the prison himself warned us Masih's life is in danger." The APMA president recalled the case of Samuel Masih, accused of blasphemy and killed on 24 May 2004 by a guard keeping him in custody.  Bhatti also noted that recently Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, a leader of Muttahida Majilis-e-Amal – an alliance of six Islamic parties in power in NWFP – has requested that Yousaf Masih be punished for his crimes.

Even the detainee's family is in grave danger. According to the Christian activist, suspect people are investigating the whereabouts of Masih's family and some relatives have already been sacked from work. "It's clear that not only the man but also his family are living under pressure and in terror."  

"The accusations against Yousaf are unfounded," said Batti. "The police opened a case of blasphemy without proof or without conducting more in-depth investigations. This is the umpteenth example of growing abuse of this law in Pakistan." The so-called blasphemy law corresponds with article 295b and c of the Pakistani penal code. The first is about offences against the Koran, punishable by life sentence, while the second orders death or life in prison for defamation of the prophet Mohammed. On 26 October last, the government approved amendments to the law: to avoid abuses, the parliament decreed that police had to ascertain the facts before ordering the arrest of the accused. The previous law had called for immediate arrest.

The APMA warned local authorities that the life of Masih was in danger. "If something happens to him while he is in custody, the government will be solely responsible."

The activist called for the immediate release of Yousaf Masih and for protection for him and his relatives. He closed with an appeal to the government: "Do away with the blasphemy law completely and take a commitment to protect minorities in Pakistan."