Pakistan teacher arrested for blasphemy

Lahore, June 1: A Pakistani schoolteacher has been arrested for allegedly making blasphemous comments in Punjab province.

The FIR was registered a couple of days ago against Gabreel Ahmed on the complaint of Bilal, his student's father, under Section 295-C (blasphemy) of the Pakistan Penal Code which carries the death penalty.

Senior police officer Sajjad Khan said that Ahmed, an Arabic language teacher at Government High School, Qasba Gormani, Muzaffargarh district, is accused of blasphemy. "Initially the police had arrested Ahmed for torturing Bilal's two sons of grade-VI in the school.

But later Bilal complained that Ahmed committed blasphemy and his sons endorsed his allegation. On this blasphemy sections have been included in the FIR," Khan said.

"We are thoroughly investigating the matter. However it is a sensitive matter," he said. Ahmed's colleagues told police that he did not commit blasphemy as Bilal had tried to settle scores with him for torturing his sons.

Rights groups allege that Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law is frequently misused to target minorities and to settle personal scores and disputes.

PTI