Pakistani court acquits Christian man in blasphemy case over lack of evidence

In a rare ruling, a Pakistani court has acquitted a Christian man accused of blasphemy after finding that the prosecution failed to establish a direct link between him and the alleged offence, a court official said on Tuesday.

A sessions court on Monday cleared Danis Albert of all charges after concluding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

"The prosecution failed to establish any direct connection between the accused and the alleged act (tearing the pages of a religious book)," the court official said.

Albert was arrested in April 2024 under Sections 295-A (hate speech) and 295-B (desecration of a holy book) of the Pakistan Penal Code following a complaint filed by Mobeen Ilyas.

According to the complaint, Ilyas claimed he saw a man standing beside an auto-rickshaw tearing pages from a religious book at Shadman Chowk in Lahore.

Albert consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that he was not present at the scene of the incident. He told the court that he had been falsely implicated because of a personal grudge allegedly harboured against him by the complainant.

Court finds prosecution evidence unreliable

Sessions Judge Abdul Ghaffar held that the prosecution's case had been substantially weakened by inconsistencies in witness testimony, missing evidence and unverified digital material.

According to the court official, cross-examination revealed that the complainant had not drafted the application himself, raising questions about the complaint's preparation.

Another key prosecution witness, who testified that a crowd had apprehended an individual at the scene, was unable to identify Albert in open court as the person allegedly involved in the incident.

The judge observed that these shortcomings undermined the prosecution's case and acquitted Albert of all blasphemy charges.

Sensitive cases in Pakistan

Blasphemy allegations remain among the most sensitive legal and social issues in Pakistan. Rights groups have long maintained that such cases are frequently driven by personal disputes, property conflicts or other private grievances rather than genuine religious offences.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws prescribe some of the country's harshest criminal penalties, ranging from lengthy prison terms to the death penalty, depending on the offence.

People accused under the laws often face significant challenges in securing legal representation, as many lawyers are reluctant to take up blasphemy cases because of security concerns and the sensitive nature of the allegations.

While acquittals in blasphemy cases are uncommon, courts have on occasion dismissed prosecutions after finding insufficient evidence or procedural lapses. Even after being cleared by courts, however, those accused often continue to face social stigma and security risks.