School Headmaster, Peon Cleared Of Blasphemy Charges From Allegations Of Burning Textbooks

A Karachi sessions court has cleared the headmaster of a school and a peon who worked there from charges of blasphemy that were brought against them after allegations that they had burned Islamiat textbooks. Additional District and Sessions Judge Dr Shabana Waheed issued a verdict that cleared the headmaster Javed Akhter and the peon Muhammad Shahid Khan, employees of Government Badri School Liaquatabad, after the prosecution failed to substantiate the charges against them.

Complainant Muhammad Jahangir had claimed in August 2018 that he and his granddaughter had seen the headmaster and the peon burning Islamiat textbooks. Locals gathered there on the basis of his claims, and the situation escalated from that point onwards.

According to the judge, the testimony provided against the headmaster and peon suffered from material contradictions. The complainant had himself admitted during cross-examination that he did not specifically see religious books being burned, but merely paper.

The judge went on to note:
“In my humble opinion the evidence led by the prosecution is highly unreliable and insufficient to rest a belief on it for recording conviction on a capital charge.”