Pakistan: Christian woman security officer threatened with false blasphemy charges

In a video that went viral on Twitter a Pakistani government employee could be heard threatening a Christian woman security officer with a false blasphemy case for enforcing car park rules at the airport.

The incident occurred at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport when a Christian security officer stopped a vehicle that did not have the necessary documents to enter the cargo area. It was reported by Pakistani and International Newspapers.

According to reports, the man threatening the woman goes by the name Saleem and works for the Civil Aviation Authority in Pakistan. The woman officer too is an employee of the same authority.

The CCTV footage of the incident reveals that the incident occurred when the female security official refused to let the man allow his acquaintance’s vehicle through security without a vehicle pass. When the woman confronted the man, the employee began threatening her that he would “call the maulanas” and get her booked for a case of blasphemy.

The female officer is heard asking the other official to give her in writing that he wants her to let all the cars go. The woman even dared him to go ahead and register a blasphemy case against her.

In response to the incident, a Civil Aviation Authority representative stated that the accused CAA employee was sacked and a thorough investigation is ordered.

Former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has urged the provincial and federal governments to seriously examine the incident at Karachi airport.

"Blasphemy is a very dangerous act," Zardari said, calling for the attacker to be punished severely and for the security officer to be protected.

An engineer and former senator, Farhatullah Babar, praised this courageous Christian official for refusing to cower under false accusations of blasphemy, saying that it is the most effective way to defeat bigots, and authorities should take note of it."

Persecution of minorities under the pretext of blasphemy is very common in Pakistan. Blasphemy is often used to settle personal scores as well as to intimidate minority communities including Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs. Several such cases have led to the lynching and persecution of people belonging to the minority community in Pakistan.

In fact, on January 26, 2022, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that at least 89 people have been killed in the country since 1947 over blasphemy charges. Furthermore, 1,415 people (both men and women) have been accused of blasphemy since 1947. Out of these, 1,287 people were accused of blasphemy from 2011-21.

In response to the CAA official, Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), said that the woman's response represents the voice of all Christians and innocent minorities who have been accused.

"Christians are easy targets, and they intended to do the same in this case, but she followed the rules in accordance with the law," Walter said.

He asked, "What are the authorities doing to combat threats to Christian women? Dismissal alone is not a solution. There should be actions and strategies together to stop these incidents.”