Days after the attack on Ganesh temple in Lucky Bhong village where people smashed the idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, an eight-year-old becomes the youngest victim of blasphemy in Pakistan. The boy accidentally entered a there and has been convicted of blasphemy under Pakistani law for urinating in a Madrassa in panic.
The eight-year-old Hindu boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Pakistan Penal Code 295-A for intentionally insulting religious sentiments. It is noteworthy that the local court of Rahim Yar Khan district of Pakistan granted this appeal. The child was granted bail but Maulvi Razak Soomro, who ran an anti-Hindu campaign on social media, continued to zero in on the child and Hindutva. In Pakistan, if you are a religious minority, it is surprising to know that one may not get a driver’s license years ago but an eight-year-old can be accused of hurting religious feelings.
This is not the first such incident in Pakistan. In 2016, a nine-year-old child was accused of burning the Quran. Earlier, a 12-year-old boy was convicted of making a mistake in Urdu during an Islamic class.
As Pakistan celebrates the 7th anniversary of its independence, we are reminded of the speech of the Father of the Nation, Jinnah in 1947 in which he clearly stated that the Constitution of Pakistan gives its citizens the right to choose their religion as their God.
