THE predicament of Junaid Ahmed illustrates precisely the mischief that continues to be unleashed by the presence of Section 295 C, the 'blasphemy law', on Pakistan's law books. A student at a Chakwal seminary run by a member of the Tehrik Khuddam Ahl-i-Sunnat, Junaid Ahmed took permission from his teacher to dispose of some fragments of the Quran in a manner he believed was permitted. As he was doing so, a passer-by raised alarm and a mob soon gathered. Considering that violence has become a part of the Pakistani psyche, the boy was severely beaten and later arrested on blasphemy charges. He now sits in Jhelum prison in judicial lockup, even though given the reputation acquired by Pakistan's madressahs, one can hardly suspect a seminary student of harbouring any feeling other than one of devotion when it comes to his or her religion.

This case comes barely a week after an eighth-grader was beaten and expelled for misspelling the word 'naat'. While she escaped prosecution, many others have not been so lucky. There is clear evidence that Section 295 C, in its current form, can wilfully or mistakenly be used to persecute, harass and intimidate. The existence of the law lends legitimacy to the emotions of the enraged rabbles that tend to gather whenever there is any allegation of blasphemy, making violence an oft-witnessed outcome. It was for these reasons that a parliamentary review of the law was suggested after Aasia Bibi's incarceration; sadly, these voices have all but been silenced after the murders of Salmaan Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti. The call must be renewed. The right-wing lobby, which has in the past threatened and sometimes unleashed street violence over the idea of a parliamentary review of Section 295 C, needs reminding that the blasphemy law must not be allowed to lend itself to misuse.