PUNJAB, Pakistan — A Christian doctor in Pakistan jailed since May 5 on charges of “blasphemy” was acquitted in early November, while another Christian and his adult daughter remained incarcerated after more than a month on charges of desecrating the Quran. Dr. Robin Sardar of Pakistan’s Punjab province was released Nov. 4 after his accuser said the claim that he had blasphemed Islam’s Prophet Muhammad was the result of a “misunderstanding,” said Ezra Shujaat of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA).
After a thorough investigation, the court found the accusation to be baseless and freed Sardar, Shujaat said. Outraged Muslim villagers had threatened to kill Sardar if he was acquitted, and he has gone into hiding, as his family did since his incarceration six months prior. A mob bearing sticks and kerosene and chanting death threats had surrounded the family’s house at that time.
As happened to Sardar, violent Muslim mobs also attacked the home of Gulsher Masih after his daughter was accused of desecrating the Quran Oct. 9 in the village of Tehsil Chak Jhumra. Both he and his daughter, 25-year-old Sandal Gulsher, have been detained in Faisalabad since Oct. 10, and the rest of the family has gone into hiding.
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