Persons with physical and mental deformities are dubbed evil and often become easy targets for extremists
Relatives and locals carry a coffin containing the body of a man who was stoned to death by an angry mob for committing alleged blasphemy at Khanewal district on Feb. 13. (Photo: AFP)
Abbas Kalwar would effortlessly comb his hair with his right leg and clean the floor with his left leg, but when attacked by a cousin he was rendered completely helpless.
Born without arms, the 36-year-old could not defend himself as he was doused with petrol and set on fire. He died a few hours later in his village in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan.
The Oct. 1 incident has Church activists in Pakistan deeply worried as Kalwar is the second case of a person with a mental or physical disability being murdered after being accused of blasphemy.
Kalwar’s brother, in his police complaint, said the deceased worked at a local shrine in their native Muhammad Siddique village. He would often receive death threats because of his habit of worshiping at graves, which is forbidden among conservative Muslims.
Earlier in February, an enraged mob of around 300 had lynched Mushtaq Ahmed, a mentally ill person accusing him of burning pages of the Quran at Talumba town in Khanewal district of Punjab province.
Activists say these are not isolated cases of persons with disabilities being targeted in the Islamic republic. Around 10 mentally challenged people were accused of blasphemy between 2011 and 2021, according to annual reports of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
“The killings could be prevented if police displayed more sensitivity in investigating cases of blasphemy”
“Blasphemy or blessing carries no meaning for a mentally challenged person. Still, they are vulnerable to religious extremists who know well that the targeted person cannot escape or defend himself. Moreover, nobody will pursue their case for justice,” Sabir Michael, a Karachi-based visually challenged lay Dominican, told UCA News.
Michael, a professor at the University of Karachi and a rights activist, attributed the repeated targeting of persons with disabilities to the failure of the state and law enforcement agencies.
“Sindh was once known as the land of [liberal] saints, Sufis, and mystics. Now, one can see madrassas [institutions for Islamic instruction] and mosques alongside every petrol station,” he said hinting that the journey toward regression in the religious, social, political and cultural spheres was near complete in Pakistan.
Abbas Kalwar, who was born without arms, was killed for worshiping graves at a local shrine in Muhammad Siddique village of southern Sindh province, Pakistan, on Oct. 1. (Photo supplied)
He said even common people were venting out their frustrations and agony and blamed the politicians for the rising extremism in society.
“Even former PM Imran Khan is repeatedly using religious rhetoric and promoting Jihad through his election campaign,” Michael said.
Naeem Yousaf Gill, executive director of the Catholic bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace, said the killings could be prevented if police displayed more sensitivity in investigating cases of blasphemy.
“Police should protect the victim, which is their primary duty. Sadly, the extremists are having a free run owing to the blasphemy laws which prescribe the death penalty for the guilty,” he said.
According to the HRCP, police had managed to rescue four mentally disabled persons from religiously charged mobs and shifted them to safe locations in the past decade.
But the rights commission also pointed out the death of two mentally challenged persons, including a Christian, in prison after being denied psychiatric treatment.
Similarly, two Muslims accused of blasphemy were gunned down in 2015 and 2017, a few days after they were released on medical grounds.
Besides mob attacks, persons with disabilities are also vulnerable to police torture and custodial death.
In 2014, a police officer in the eastern city of Gujrat in Punjab decapitated a mentally challenged man at a police station for allegedly making derogatory remarks toward the companions of the Prophet Mohammed.
The same year, a prison guard in Adiala Jail of Rawalpindi shot dead a blasphemy-accused Briton who had a history of psychiatric problems.
Police data shows that at least 585 persons were booked on charges of blasphemy last year, with the overwhelming majority from Punjab.
Five people, including a Sri Lankan national who worked as general manager of an industrial engineering factory in Sialkot, were killed for blasphemy in 2021.
Father John Joseph a prison ministry official cites the lack of a justice system for increasing blasphemy killings.
“People with disabilities are widely believed to be under the influence of evil forces”
“This is a gross violation of human rights. Sadly persons with disabilities are weak like us, without a strong voice,” said the parish priest of St. Francis’ Church in Lahore.
Hina Jilani, the chairwoman of the HRCP, suggests a social support network to protect PWDs both during the trial and after the acquittal.
In a conservative society like Pakistan, people with disabilities are widely believed to be under the influence of evil forces. Most mental disorders remain undetected and people who suffer from them are referred to quacks and so-called holy men, spiritual healers and practitioners of black magic, she said.
“The percentage of mentally challenged people [among blasphemy victims] might be small but they are those who cannot defend themselves being socially marginalized,” Jilani added.
Pakistan’s blasphemy law has created an environment in which violent mobs feel free to attack those accused of blasphemy, even if falsely, with impunity, which was a worrying trend, she felt.
“The state propaganda has ensured such violence becomes a religious obligation,” Jilani added.
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