AUTHORITIES at a jail in Karachi are claiming that Qamar David, 55, who was sentenced to life imprisonment last year for insulting the “prophet” Mohammed, died of a heart attack on Tuesday.
But, according to this report, Â David’s lawyer, Aslam Chaudhry, said his client had been in good health and raised the possibility of murder.
Pakistani Christians protest against their country's draconian blasphemy laws
This is not a natural death. He was fine the last time I saw him. He never informed me of any heart condition or blood pressure. This is a false story of the prison authorities.
A senior prison official, Ghulam Qadir Thebo, said David had died after complaining of chest pain. He said prison doctors had ruled out murder.
A postmortem carried out yesterday has so far proved inconclusive.
Campaigners said David’s death underscored the urgent need to reform the blasphemy laws. Although no one accused of blasphemy has been executed, several dozen prisoners have been murdered in prisons and courthouses.
Andrew Johnston, of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said David’s family had suffered for nine years from the consequences of a blasphemy accusation that was likely to have been dismissed by the high court in time.
It is yet another tragic example of lives needlessly destroyed … and the inability of the government, court system and prisons to prevent this.
Johnston called for an independent investigation into the cause of David’s death.
The death comes two weeks after gunmen shot dead Pakistan’s minorities minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, and just over two months after the Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer was assassinated in similar circumstances.
David was arrested in 2006 after allegations that he insulted Mohammed. Aslam Chaudhry said the charges were brought by a business rival and his trial was conducted under intense pressure from local clerics.
After years in jail on remand, David was convicted in a Karachi court in February 2010. He was sentenced to life and had started the appeal process. Both he and his lawyer received frequent death threats during the trial.
Said Chaudhry:
Many times we have been threatened, including travelling from the airport to the courthouse. Christians in blasphemy cases are treated very differently here.
Among those accused of blasphemy this year are a 17-year-old student who was turned in by an education board official correcting his exam sheet. An investigation into his mental condition has reportedly been opened.
Meanwhile, it is reported here that the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland has accused the UK of adopting an “anti-Christian foreign policy,” after the government announced it would double foreign aid to Pakistan without setting any conditions to help the Islamic country’s endangered religious minorities.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the Archbishop of Edinburgh, said on Tuesdsy that UK Foreign Secretary William Hague should:
Obtain guarantees from foreign governments before they are given aid.
This would ensure that Christians and other religious minorities in countries like Pakistan would not be deprived of their basic religious rights.
The cardinal made his remarks at the Glasgow launch of a new report on religious persecution, compiled by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. Their report – Persecuted and Forgotten? – shows that 75 percent of all worldwide anti-religious activity is now directed against Christians.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
March 17th, 2011 at 9:24 am
When he complained of chest pains, did the doctor(s) notice the knife sticking out of it? Pakistan is a coultry mired in corruption and fear fomented by the desert death cult and gives support to taliban terrorists. Was it a death cultist in our own parliament who suggested doubling the aid to his mates in that sh?t hole?
March 17th, 2011 at 10:42 am
I notice O’brien omitted atheists and humanists in his whining. So it’s ok to kill those people then.
March 17th, 2011 at 11:31 am
“I notice O’brien omitted atheists and humanists in his whining. So it’s ok to kill those people then.”
Do people like us even exist in that part of the world? There must be so few perhaps O’Brien doesn’t even consider them as real people.
March 17th, 2011 at 11:36 am
“Do people like us even exist in that part of the world?”
Not quite Pakistan, but there are some in India.
March 17th, 2011 at 11:57 am
People like us to exist, daz! But like any minority in Pakistan they don’t openly declare themselves as non- believers or they also may be killed! This is a country were u pay the police to investigate a crime… Money gives u power…
March 17th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
The leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland has accused the UK of adopting an “anti-Christian foreign policy,†after the government announced it would double foreign aid to Pakistan without setting any conditions to help the Islamic country’s endangered religious minorities.
So Christians giving aid intend their monies to go only to Christians. Is that Christian?
As for the anti-Christian foreign policy, we have yet another bozo that thinks his religion deserves special rights. So, I for one would be pretty pissed off if that were the case.
March 17th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
As far as I can tell from reading these and other stories that when blasphemy laws are put into place then there is some form of death cults in charge of the gov’mints.
Respect for a person and his beliefs are usually not insulted. I’ve never seen a person insult anothers religion when meeting in public. Most people do not speak badly about anothers delusion. Discussions, debates, & blog about such do not count.
I think it is very telling that the ‘religion of peace’ has the worse blasphemy laws in place for saying something about a pedophile but not so much about their psychotic sky-demon.
March 17th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
About the ststement from O’Brien that read ‘Obtain guarantees from foreign governments before they are given aid.’ A statement as crass as this can only have come from one of those ‘caring christians’ that we are always told about.
Stick to living in your grace and favour house, your eminence, and please do not preach about a church for the poor.
March 17th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
O’Brien is right but for the wrong reasons. Giving 445 million to this benighted country is an anathema to human rights.
March 17th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Human Rights what Human Rights. I did not see or hear this news on BBC but they did keep interrupting the programme for news of the cricket. I know we all need relief from all the horrible things in the world otherwsie we would all go mad. But please can we question the United Nations as to why these attrocities are not condemed and acted upon. Money and oil are a couple of things that come to mind.
Also Popey come out and condem these murders of those who dare to speak out against injustice.
March 17th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
What do they mean, “murder”? Killing blasphemers isn’t murder.
March 17th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Daz, I reckon there’s more there than dare stick their heads above the parapet
March 17th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
The reason they murder is that this is the only way they can preserve the “truth” of their grisly faith. Open it up to free speech and robust debate, reveal the way they behave and the stench of the decaying corpse of superstition is sickening. They kill from fear.
For a similar reason the religious mafia at the BBC are terrified of allowing atheists on the farcical Thought for the Day or lessening the flood of religion on BBC programmes. Give way a little and they fear the consequences.
March 17th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
AngieRS:
Indeed. Can’t say I blame them either.
March 18th, 2011 at 2:08 am
G. W. Bush was the one, as commander and chief of the US military, who made the deal with the corrupt military dictator of Pakistan to buy airspace over their country in exchange from massive amounts of money. Supposedly they became our allys in the “war on terror”. Bullshit. They became recipients of our money, and reneged on every promise they made. Police the Afghanistan border? Bullshit!!
Mushariff is gone, but the bullshit remains. Sharia rules the land, and freethinkers, or dissenters of any kind are subject to death. Libya, my ass, we should be invading Pakistan’s northwest border. Something Pakistan promised to do in exchange for all that cash. No more money, no more patience. Afghanistan has become a protracted war because the instigators are living in a safehaven.
NeoWolfe
Pakistan is an ally when fresh shit doesn’t stink.