November 23, 2024
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
There are 25 women including three on death row, who are incarcerated in various prisons across Punjab on charges of blasphemy. At the same time, one single female inmate has been incarcerated on similar charges in a jail of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.
The figures are based on prisoner data obtained by a human rights lawyer in Lahore, under the Right to Information Act. Sarmad Ali made requests to the prison authorities in both provinces as he has been defending destitute prisoners, including those facing allegations of blasphemy. The bulk of the inmates are facing trials, with only five having been convicted on charges of committing offences under sections 295-B (relating to the desecration of the Holy Quran) and 295-C (relating to the derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Three female convicts on death row
“Out of the five female convicted inmates, three of them have been sentenced to death in blasphemy cases by the trial courts,” Ali told Voicepk, adding their death sentences were subject to the confirmation of the high court deciding against their appeals. “Two of these unconfirmed death row female inmates were confined in Central Jail in Rawalpindi while the third was lodged in the Multan’s Women Jail,” he added. In addition, two other convicted female inmates were serving their sentences in Lahore’s Central Jail for committing the offence under section 295-B of the PPC.
Highest number of blasphemy accused in Lahore jail
According to data from the inspector general of Punjab prisons, a copy of which is available with Voicepk, the Lahore Central Jail has the highest number of such female inmates where 11 women (including two convicts) are incarcerated on blasphemy charges.
Out of the nine under-trial female inmates, three face charges of committing combined offences under sections 295-A, 295-B and 295-C of the PPC, with an equal number of inmates accused of offences under 295-B. Two others are being tried under Section 295-C while the ninth inmate faces trial under sections 295-A and 295-C.
The District Jail in Sialkot has a single female inmate s under trial for charges under Section 295A. Faisalabad’s district jail has two inmates awaiting trial on blasphemy offences. One of them faces accusations under Sections 295A, 295B, and 295C, while the second is charged under Section 295-B. In Central Jail Rawalpindi, two women were convicted of charges under Sections 295A and 295C.
In Attock’s district jail, two female inmates were awaiting trial under Section 295-B. A sole under-trial woman was incarcerated in District Jail in Rahim Yar Khan on charges under Section 295-B. In Multan’s Women’s Jail, out of the six women imprisoned for blasphemy charges, one has been convicted while five are awaiting the outcome of their trials.
On the other hand, the data obtained from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prison authorities revealed that there is a single female inmate accused of blasphemy offences in the entire province. “The lone female prisoner in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accused of blasphemy charges is currently confined in the Central Jail in Peshawar,” Ali said. He said the Balochistan and Sindh prison authorities have not responded to his right of information request for details on female inmates charged with blasphemy offences confined in prisons of both provinces.
Release hindered by failure to post surety bonds
According to the Ali, most of the women imprisoned in the jails were destitute and had been isolated from their families due to the blasphemy charges. He also revealed that many blasphemy accused remained imprisoned in jails despite being granted bail by courts.
“In recent months, courts have granted bail to six blasphemy suspects who remain in prisons because their family members, relatives, and friends did not come forward to post their surety bonds,” he said. According to him, most of the female blasphemy suspects remain incarcerated in jails for four to six years– the period of concluding a trial relating to blasphemy offences in Pakistan.
“Upon conviction, the appeals in the high court and the Supreme Court could take anywhere between three to four years for disposal,” he pointed out.
642 blasphemy inmates in Punjab prisons
Data provided by the Punjab Prisons website regarding crimes under prisoners confined in prisons across the province reveals that a total of 642 inmates are confined in blasphemy cases under sections 295-A, B & C of the PPC until October. Among these, 566 are undertrial (543 males, 22 females, and one male juvenile), 47 males had been convicted, 20 males and 3 females were unconfirmed death row prisoners and 6 males were confirmed death row prisoners.