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| Pakistan orders probe of disabled girl's blasphemy arrest | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Pakistan's president has ordered a report into the arrest of a girl with mental disabilities, reportedly as young as 11, accused of desecrating pages of the Koran. | Pakistan's president has ordered a report into the arrest of a girl with mental disabilities, reportedly as young as 11, accused of desecrating pages of the Koran. |
| Police say the girl was arrested last week in a Christian area of the capital, Islamabad, after a furious crowd demanded she be punished. | Police say the girl was arrested last week in a Christian area of the capital, Islamabad, after a furious crowd demanded she be punished. |
| Officials said the girl could not properly answer police questions. | Officials said the girl could not properly answer police questions. |
| Her parents have been taken into protective custody following threats. | Her parents have been taken into protective custody following threats. |
| Many other Christian families have fled the neighbourhood after unrest erupted. Reports say that police arrested her under pressure from the large crowd. | |
| It is thought that the girl has Down's syndrome, which is a congenital condition that causes various degrees of learning difficulties and certain physical abnormalities. | It is thought that the girl has Down's syndrome, which is a congenital condition that causes various degrees of learning difficulties and certain physical abnormalities. |
| State media said that President Asif Ali Zardari had "taken notice" of the reports of the arrest and asked Pakistan's interior ministry to present a report to him. | State media said that President Asif Ali Zardari had "taken notice" of the reports of the arrest and asked Pakistan's interior ministry to present a report to him. |
| Controversial laws | Controversial laws |
| The incident comes amid a debate about Pakistan's strict anti-blasphemy laws. | The incident comes amid a debate about Pakistan's strict anti-blasphemy laws. |
| Social media have been at the forefront of the condemnation of the latest arrest, which has revived the old debate over the country's strict blasphemy laws. | |
| But it is notable that the government has stayed silent on the issue. Interior Minister Rahman Malik on Sunday chose to speak for more than 30 minutes on allegations made against Pakistan by India but did not touch on this case. | |
| And despite the voices of outrage, many people do in fact support these laws. Even if the girl is found innocent in this case, analysts doubt if any government will have the courage to address the blasphemy law. | |
| Rights activists have long urged Pakistan to reform the laws, under which a person can be jailed for life for desecrating the Koran. | Rights activists have long urged Pakistan to reform the laws, under which a person can be jailed for life for desecrating the Koran. |
| Many of those accused of blasphemy have been killed by violent mobs, while politicians who advocate a change in legislation have also been targeted. | Many of those accused of blasphemy have been killed by violent mobs, while politicians who advocate a change in legislation have also been targeted. |
| Last month, an angry crowd seized a man accused of blasphemy, and who was also said to be mentally unstable, from a police station and burnt him to death in the Bahawalpur area of Punjab province. | Last month, an angry crowd seized a man accused of blasphemy, and who was also said to be mentally unstable, from a police station and burnt him to death in the Bahawalpur area of Punjab province. |
| Last year, Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister for minority affairs, was killed after calling for the repeal of the blasphemy law. | |
| His death came just two months after the murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who also spoke out about the issue. | |
| There are conflicting reports about the latest incident. It is unclear whether the girl burned pages of the Koran or if she was found with pages of the Koran in a bag. Police quoted in some media reports also say she may be older than 11. | |
| Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for national harmony, earlier told the BBC that the girl was known to have a mental disorder and that it seemed "unlikely she purposefully desecrated the Koran". | Paul Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for national harmony, earlier told the BBC that the girl was known to have a mental disorder and that it seemed "unlikely she purposefully desecrated the Koran". |
| "From the reports I have seen, she was found carrying a waste bag which also had pages of the Koran," he said. | "From the reports I have seen, she was found carrying a waste bag which also had pages of the Koran," he said. |
| "This infuriated some local people and a large crowd gathered to demand action against her. The police were initially reluctant to arrest her, but they came under a lot of pressure from a very large crowd who were threatening to burn down Christian homes." | |
| The AFP news agency quotes one senior official as saying some of those who fled are gradually returning to the district. | The AFP news agency quotes one senior official as saying some of those who fled are gradually returning to the district. |
| Rights groups have condemned the arrest. The Women's Action Forum (WAF) demanded the girl's immediate release and expressed outrage at the "total inhumanity" of those who lodged the case with police, AFP reports. | Rights groups have condemned the arrest. The Women's Action Forum (WAF) demanded the girl's immediate release and expressed outrage at the "total inhumanity" of those who lodged the case with police, AFP reports. |
| WAF said the case should have been dealt with under the juvenile justice system. | WAF said the case should have been dealt with under the juvenile justice system. |