PESHAWAR, Sep 23: The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, NWFP chapter, on Friday asked the provincial government to withdraw a case of desecration of the Holy Quran registered against a Hindu couple in district Swabi “as the case was fabricated”.

According to a press release, a meeting of the APMA chaired by its provincial president Prince Jawed took stock of different acts of violence against minority communities in the province and asked the government to provide proper protection to them.

The meeting expressed concern over registration of the case a few days ago against a Hindu couple, Chaman Lal and his wife Krishna, and stated that there was no eyewitness to the occurrence and they were falsely implicated in the case.

It pointed out that Chaman Lal was the son of a known Hakeem, Ghanga Wesh, who had been practising medicine in Swabi for the last many decades. It added that the FIR was registered against the couple under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The meeting noted that the misuse of section 295-B and 295-C of the PPC was on the rise. No member of minority communities could even think of desecrating the Holy Quran as they respected other religions, it added.

The participants also discussed the plight of Sikh community residing in the Khyber Agency since long. They said that cases of abduction of members of Sikh community were taking place. A few days ago some thieves had looted Rs300,000 from the residence of Dr Saroop Singh in Mohallah Joghan Shah.

The APMA asked the minority MPAs, Felix Innocent and Gursaran Lal, and MNA Pervez Masih to raise voice for the rights of minorities and also make themselves accountable to the people for the millions of rupees they had received for development of minorities.