ISLAMABAD, June 11: All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) has appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) to take notice of the growing misuse of blasphemy law.

“Blasphemy law is used as a weapon to settle personal scores. Many innocent people are killed and incarcerated due to its misuse of blasphemy laws. Similarly, in the cases of blasphemy the families of the accused are also threatened and they faced harassment and victimisation,” APMA Chairman Shahbaz Bhatti said in a statement issued here on Sunday.

He urged the chief justice of the apex court to fix a time frame for the hearing of blasphemy cases and set up a judicial commission to review the pending cases, and order release of all those framed under the law on baseless and false grounds.

APMA chairman sought early decision on Hudood cases and hailed the decision of the Law and Justice Commission (LJC) to consider Hudood cases on priority basis within a period of 3 months and take notice of delays being caused in the trial of cases under Zina ordinance. Mostly women were languishing in prison under the law, he added.

Mr Bhatti said that the notice of delays in Hudood cases by the LJC was a significant step in the rights direction which would extend speedy justice to the victims and would strengthen the confidence of people upon the judiciary.

He said that implementation of the decision in its true spirit would provide justice to many innocent women, who don’t have resources to fight legal battle and plead their case.