IHC orders govt to form commission to probe blasphemy cases

• Justice Ejaz accepts pleas seeking formation of probe commission.
• Asks federal govt to constitute commission within 30 days.
• Commission may seek court's approval if more time is needed.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the federal government to constitute a commission within 30 days to investigate blasphemy-related cases.

Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan issued the order while hearing petitions seeking the formation of an inquiry commission to examine how blasphemy laws are being implemented.

Accepting the petitions, the court instructed that the commission must complete its proceedings within four months of formation. The IHC further ruled that if the commission requires more time to complete its task, it may approach the court for an extension.

A report published by the government-run National Commission for Human Rights in October last year said there were 767 people, mostly young men, in jail awaiting trial over blasphemy allegations.

"This is a huge ray of hope and it's the first time that the families have felt heard," said lawyer Imaan Mazari, who represents the families of arrested men and women, of the court order.

"Youngsters have been falsely roped into cases of such a sensitive nature that the stigma will last forever even if they are acquitted," she added.

The Legal Commission on Blasphemy Pakistan (LCBP) is the most active of lawyers groups prosecuting young men in Pakistan.

— With additional input from AFP