They were accused of blasphemy.
On Tuesday, two Christian siblings in Pakistan, Tabish Shahid and Kalu Shahid, were detained and charged with blasphemy after allegations surfaced that they had desecrated pages of the Quran. The brothers, who are 18 years old and come from a financially struggling family in Kalay Wala Tehsil, Punjab, were arrested following a complaint from a local Muslim named Ghulam Mustafa. Mustafa claimed that the brothers, who are illiterate, had torn Quranic pages during a village fair.
The First Information Report (FIR) indicates that the incident took place during an annual Urs festival at the shrine of Baba Ronaq Shah. During the celebration, the brothers were reportedly filming TikTok videos, tossing fake currency and scraps of paper. Among the debris, some pages with Quranic verses were discovered. The FIR, filed under Section 295-B of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, asserts that the brothers’ actions were offensive to local Muslims.
Sajid Christopher from the Human Friends Organization, who is assisting with the brothers’ legal defense, clarified that the brothers’ actions were inadvertent. Due to their lack of education, they did not realize they were handling pages from a Quranic booklet. The family turned over the brothers to the authorities after police had detained their mother and maternal uncle.
The situation has heightened tensions in the village, with some Christian families fleeing due to fear of backlash. Although the situation has reportedly calmed since the brothers’ surrender, there are ongoing concerns about possible violence from extremist groups.
This case highlights the broader issues with Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which are often used in personal disputes or due to a lack of understanding. The frequent misuse of these laws has led to numerous accusations over the years, contributing to the challenging environment faced by religious minorities in the country.