LAHORE, Pakistan — A excessive court docket decide in Pakistan resigned final week after a media report uncovered his alleged shut ties with a prison gang falsely charging Christians and others with blasphemy, sources stated.
Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz of the Lahore Excessive Courtroom (LHC) on March 6 despatched his resignation to President Asif Ali Zardari citing “private causes” for stepping down and requesting its instant acceptance. He was appointed as an LHC decide in November 2016.
A number of attorneys, together with Christian attorneys concerned in defending individuals accused of blasphemy, expressed aid on the decide’s resignation as they shared with Christian Day by day Worldwide–Morning Star Information how he pressured them throughout instances.
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A Muslim lawyer stated on situation of anonymity that simply days earlier than the controversial decide despatched his resignation, Aziz had issued a keep order in opposition to any doable adversarial motion primarily based on a report of the Nationwide Fee for Human Rights (NCHR) on blasphemy instances.
Sajid Iqbal Lashari, an office-bearer of the Tahaffuz-i-Khatam-i-Nabuwwat Discussion board (Motion for Safety of Finality of Prophethood) had challenged the NCHR report in Aziz’s court docket. The report pointed to the dearth of due course of in blasphemy instances, together with vital procedural violations at a number of levels.
It really helpful formation of a Joint Investigation Staff (JIT) by means of the Ministry of Human Rights comprising of officers from the Particular Department of the Police, Intelligence Bureau, Ministries of Legislation, Inside, Federal Investigation Company (FIA), and different related departments to take care of the blasphemy instances. The NCHR report referred to as for stern disciplinary proceedings in opposition to the FIA officers concerned in unlawful arrests or soliciting bribes whereas noting the obvious leniency of the FIA towards the personal entities and particular person complainants behind a number of blasphemy instances.
“I feel that Aziz was pressured to step down because of the mounting worldwide strain on the nation’s civil-military institution to take measures in opposition to the blatant violations of human rights in Pakistan, notably the steep rise in false blasphemy instances within the final couple of years,” the nameless Muslim lawyer advised Christian Day by day Worldwide-Morning Star Information.
The decide’s alleged hyperlink with the “blasphemy enterprise gang” was revealed in an investigative report by Truth Focus, an internet site banned by authorities in Pakistan. In response to the report, Aziz had a protracted historical past of blasphemy activism with lawyer Rao Abdul Rahim, alleged mastermind of the “blasphemy enterprise group.”
The 2 attorneys had been concerned in fabricating a blasphemy case in opposition to 11-year-old Rimsha Masih, a Christian lady from Islamabad, in August 2012, based on Truth Focus. Although a judicial inquiry proved the case in opposition to Rimsha was solely false, Aziz was appointed as a excessive court docket decide inside 4 years, the report added.
The Truth Focus report asserted that many blasphemy-related instances had been assigned to Aziz within the Lahore Excessive Courtroom. Citing a blasphemy case of a Muslim suspect, Ahmed Satti, the report acknowledged that Aziz unnecessarily held the bail rejection order for 4 months earlier than lastly rejecting Satti’s bail. Finally the Supreme Courtroom dominated on the identical case that no materials had been introduced to hyperlink the petitioner to the alleged offenses and granted him bail.
In April 2023, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad Excessive Courtroom (IHC) famous the malicious and suspicious actions within the Cybercrime Wing of the FIA and ordered it to stop work on the instances falling underneath the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and focus solely on issues associated to digital crimes, based on the report.
“As a substitute of difficult this order within the IHC or taking it to the Supreme Courtroom, the blasphemy enterprise gang as soon as once more introduced the matter earlier than Justice Aziz who, as anticipated, directed the FIA to renew work on PPC instances, successfully bypassing the judgment of the IHC with out offering any clear rationale,” it added.
The report went on to disclose that when Islamabad police had been nearing the conclusion of their investigation in opposition to lawyer Rahim within the homicide case of falsely accused Abdullah Shah, Rahim filed a petition earlier than Aziz complaining that the FIA, which had already been working carefully with him, was not correctly investigating blasphemy instances. Rahim requested that acceptable actions be taken by the FIA.
“In response, Justice Aziz ordered the creation of anti-blasphemy cells within the FIA throughout the nation,” the report famous. “The proceedings of this case by Justice Aziz was clearly meant to present a media hype to Rao Abdul Raheem and to pressurize Islamabad Police officers.”
Christian lawyer Aneeqa Maria recalled a blasphemy case wherein her workforce had filed an utility for grant of post-arrest bail to 2 Christians, Sunny Waqas and his cousin Noman Masih, who had been booked by the Bahawalpur police and the Bahawalnagar police in two blasphemy instances associated to the identical incident.
“Justice Aziz was serving within the Bahawalpur Bench of the Lahore Excessive Courtroom, and the bail petition was mounted in his court docket,” Maria advised Christian Day by day Worldwide-Morning Star Information. “As a substitute of judging the grounds for bail, Aziz pressured the police so as to add Part 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act within the case and examine the matter afresh. It’s good that such a religiously prejudiced decide will not be a part of the bench now.”
One other Christian lawyer, Lazar Allah Rakha, stated that he had filed an attraction in opposition to the dying sentence given to 2 Muslim blasphemy suspects, Muhammad Riaz and Ejaz Ahmed, which was heard by a two-judge bench together with Aziz.
“Simply when the opposite decide was about to announce the acquittal order for the 2 convicts, Aziz recused himself from the bench to forestall his colleague from acquitting the appellants,” Rakha advised Christian Day by day Worldwide-Morning Star Information.
The lawyer, who together with Maria additionally represented Sunny Waqas and Noman Masih, stated that in a listening to of the bail petitions, Aziz misplaced his mood and accused him of defending the blasphemy suspects “simply to make some cash.”
“The decide’s harsh remarks turned the court docket’s setting very hostile and provoked some emotional attorneys to encompass me,” Rakha stated. “He repeatedly pressurized the investigations superintendent of police to conduct a contemporary investigation who ultimately ready a brand new challan [charge sheet] and added the part associated to terrorism within the instances.”
Pakistan is ranked No. 8 on Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Listing of essentially the most troublesome locations to be a Christian.
This text was initially printed at Christian Day by day Worldwide–Morning Star Information
