A man and his three sons were arrested in Khodi Khushal Singh, a village near Lahore, on blasphemy charges for confronting a mosque Imam who had refused to make an announcement about the death of a Christian neighbour.
The man’s wife had gone to the prayer leader, requesting him to announce the death of their Christian neighbour, which he refused to do.
The FIR states that the woman returned home and told her husband what the prayer leader had said to her. The man and his sons then went to the mosque and reportedly argued with the prayer leader as he had misbehaved with the woman while refusing to make the announcement. Upon being confronted over his refusal to make the announcement, he accused the family of insulting Islamic laws.
The complaint was lodged by a member of the mosque committee agains four Muslim men.
The incident took place on November 18. The prayer leader who levelled blasphemy allegations against the family had reportedly said to the woman that Islam does not allow announcements for funeral of non-Muslims.
The FIR against the four men includes sections 295 and 298 of Pakistan’s penal code.
Meanwhile, rights activists have condemned the incident, criticising the police for registering a blasphemy case over a personal dispute.
