In a deeply troubling incident, a 60-year-old Catholic man, Amir Masih, found himself ensnared in a nightmare, facing charges of blasphemy after a simple argument over groceries spiraled into a dangerous false accusation. On July 19, Peter went to a shop in Lahore’s Nishat Colony, intending to purchase a few daily items. However, when he was overcharged by the Muslim shopkeeper, Sanor Ali, a verbal disagreement ensued. Ali, reportedly angered by the rebuke, physically attacked Peter, but some bystanders came to his rescue. The altercation should have been a minor dispute, but it quickly escalated into a life-threatening ordeal.
Peter was later arrested under Pakistan’s infamous blasphemy laws, accused by Ali of using derogatory words against the Prophet Muhammad. But Peter’s defense is clear: there was never any mention of religion during the confrontation. The allegations, according to Katherine Sapna, the executive director of Christians’ True Spirit (CTS), are entirely baseless. Despite this, the police pressed Peter to confess to something he vehemently denies, even reportedly torturing him during his detention. Peter, in his pain and confusion, clung to his innocence, adamantly refusing to make a false admission.
As if the physical suffering wasn’t enough, Peter’s younger brother, Rev. Henry Paul, a priest at St. Francis Parish in Lahore, expressed the family’s despair. The accusation, he believes, is a direct result of his brother’s confrontation with the shopkeeper over profiteering, an issue that could have been easily resolved by the police without resorting to such harsh measures. But the family’s hope for justice, they say, was dashed as senior police officers failed to investigate the matter thoroughly before taking action.
The agony of an innocent man caught in the web of a deeply flawed legal system reflects the broader misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which remain a tool of oppression and a source of unimaginable pain for religious minorities. While the state has refrained from executing anyone under these laws, accusations often ignite brutal mob violence, and the accused face not only the prospect of death but also the constant threat of extrajudicial killings. In many cases, individuals are imprisoned for months on end without trial, subjected to violent persecution simply for being accused of blasphemy.
Human Rights Watch has long condemned the systematic exploitation of these laws, citing their use to target religious minorities and settle personal and economic scores. The broad and vague nature of the blasphemy laws allows for abuse with little to no evidence, creating an environment of fear, especially for vulnerable groups like Christians, Hindus, and other religious minorities. Peter’s story is yet another stark reminder of how the law can be weaponized to threaten lives, confiscate property, and destroy families.
As HRW’s Patricia Gossman rightly pointed out, the failure to hold those responsible for inciting violence accountable has emboldened the perpetrators of these heinous acts. It is time for the Pakistani government to confront the reality of this dangerous legal system and urgently reform its blasphemy laws before more lives are lost in the name of religion.
For now, Amir Peter, an innocent man caught in a tragic sequence of events, sits in a prison cell, his life shattered by a false accusation that has cast a dark shadow over his future. And in the face of this, his family can only hope for the truth to emerge, hoping that justice will eventually prevail, even in the most impossible of circumstances.