Pakistan High Court To Hear a Major Blasphemy Case

Many of you know about Shahzad Masih, a young Christian man who was only 16 years old when he was arrested in July 2017 over a false accusation of blasphemy. He was sentenced to death by hanging in November 2022 by a trial court in Pakistan.

Shahzad’s only “crime” was that he told his Muslim co-worker that his father’s Muslim friend, Ali, uses derogatory words when he hears anyone’s name that has Muhammad in it. This was in response to a conversation that the Muslim co-worker started. Ishtiaq Ahmed, the Muslim co-worker, asked Shahzad questions about religion. Shahzad did not know much about religion. Ishtiaq then told Shahzad about Muslim prophets, including the Prophet Muhammad. And, in response, Shahzad told him about his father’s friend. That was the entire conversation.

But Ishtiaq got offended and told his friends at a local religious group, who then fetched Shahzad from his home, inquired what he had told Ishtiaq, handed him over to the police, and lodged a complaint against him. The police filed blasphemy charges and sent Shahzad to jail.

The trial court sentenced him to death despite the overwhelming amount of evidence that proved Shahzad was innocent. Even the investigating officer, Superintendent of Police (a higher police official assigned to oversee the investigation) did not find Shahzad guilty during his investigation, but the trial court simply disregarded his testimony.

Members of the fundamentalist group behind the false accusation were in court on the day the judge announced Shahzad’s fate. The judge was obviously under severe pressure. He even disregarded the prosecution witnesses’ testimony, which, instead of proving Shahzad’s guilt beyond a shadow of doubt, proved that he did not commit any crime. All of the prosecution witnesses testified that Shahzad had stated that his father’s Muslim friend blasphemed.

After the trial court sentenced Shahzad to death, our attorneys on the ground filed an appeal with the Lahore High Court. Last week, we filed an application with the court, requesting that his appeal be heard sooner. This is the fourth application we have filed. Finally, the court agreed and has set a date to hear the appeal in late October.

I will be in Pakistan meeting with Shahzad prior to the hearing. I visit Pakistan once a year, meet with Shahzad in prison, comfort him, and see how he is growing in the Lord in this time of trial and hardship. He is confined with two of our affiliate office’s other clients in similar cases. It is encouraging to see that not only have they formed a Bible study but have been a good example for other prisoners.

Please pray for our team that will be presenting the argument. Also pray for the judges who will hear the argument to see the injustice being done to this innocent young man and decide the case on its merits and not under religious prejudice or societal pressure.