December 18, 2006	Monday	Ziqa'ad 26, 1427

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FAISALABAD, Dec 17: The family of Ranjha Masih, a 60-year-old man who has recently been acquitted of a blasphemy case after going through the hell and fire of trial for eight (long) years, has more shock in store as it is now facing life threat.

Exonerated by a Lahore High Court division bench on Nov 10 last, Ranjha was immediately released only to be disgusted with the fresh ordeal of his life after languishing in prison. First he was not allowed to meet his family members, except his wife. Soon afterwards his family members were shifted to some undisclosed location and they have yet to see the face of their ageing kin who has been suffering from backbone problem as well.

He was admitted to a hospital in Lahore where his wife was his only attendant. The others who were lucky enough to see the ailing man were his three sons. Not even his daughters-in-law, grandsons and granddaughters were allowed to see him. He had to wait for five years for his appeal against a local court decision.

Sources told Dawn that now Ranjha, along with his wife and three sons, would leave the country for good and some NGOs had already completed the formalities for their departure. “Initially, Ranjha and his wife will leave for abroad and later their three sons will join them.”

Ranjha’s ordeal started on May 7, 1998, following the death of Bishop John Joseph. Several youths amongst a large group of Christian mourners threw stones and damaged a signboard that hung over a shop.

Ranjha, a TMA employee and part-time hawker who has five sons and one daughter (three of the sons being real), was arrested for this ‘violent act’ on the complaint of district mayor Malik Ashraf’s son Jehanzeb. Subsequently, the police instituted a case against him under section 295-C of Pakistan Penal Code, a section that carries the death penalty, on May 8.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Shahid Rafiq had on April 26, 2003 convicted Ranjha Masih of blasphemy, sentencing him to life imprisonment and slapping a fine of Rs50,000 on the charge of damaging a neon sign depicting the Islamic creed.

Nadeem, a married son of Ranjha, told Dawn from some undisclosed location that “after the acquittal of father, we are awfully nervous and don’t know what to do. None of our children has met him.”

“My father is an old man with broken health. His liberty was a blessing of the Almighty for us, but now it looks next to impossible to be in company of our father ever again.

“We are much worried that why the government does not come forward to protect the life of my father, as a court of law has exonerated him of blasphemy charges,” said Nadeem, who was more than certain that some influential people had implicated his father in the case.

Father used to spend most of his time in the Katchery and Rail bazaar areas and a number of people were familiar to him. “The life threats have forced my father, mother and three bachelor brothers to leave the country. Their departure will lead to another sordid episode. We are spending sleepless nights,” he said.

Ranjha’s wife Rashida Bibi, 55, who has weak eyesight, had his share of struggle in saving the life of his husband. Naddem said his mother worked in a church.

Rana Azhar Mahmood, a lawyer, commented by questioning why the government was not taking any step to save the family from distress when the court had declared the accused innocent. “Leaving a country for fear of constant threat to life points to the government’s failure to safeguard fundamental rights of the people,” he said.

A woman named Bedo, who also participated in the protest on May 7, 2003, told Dawn that “Ranjha has many adversaries in Katchery Bazaar area and they might be the people involved in implicating him.”

Some Christians who talked to this correspondent on the request of anonymity said Ranjha was once tortured by the police in the presence of an influential political figure. This thrashing left him nursing a backbone problem and he was admitted to a hospital in Lahore immediately after his release from jail.

Meanwhile, the plaintiff Jehanzeb Malik is not ready to accept Ranjha’s acquittal and he had organised a peaceful demonstration on Nov 25, demanding capital punishment for what he said a sacrilegious act.