Aasia Bibi blasphemy case

Context

Recently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted Christian woman Aasia Bibi in a case of blasphemy. The apex court said that the judgment of Asiya Bibi's sentence is rejected. If there is no prosecution in any other case, he should be released immediately. It is worth mentioning that the lower court of Pakistan and then the High Court had sentenced Asea Bibi to death in this case under the law of blasphemy.
Image result for Aasia Bibi png

What's the issue?

  • It is important that Aasia Bibi was accused of blasphemy in 2009. In 2010, a lower court had sentenced him to death. In 2014, the Lahore High Court upheld the lower court's judgment which the Supreme Court recently ordered to be acquitted by overturning it.
  • The Supreme Court citing the case of Mushal Khan and Ayub Masih said that in the last 28 years, 62 accused were killed before the court's verdict was reached.

Crowded system

  • After the decision of the Pakistani Supreme Court, the Pakistan government had a chance in which it could stir up debate on the viability of regressive laws like Ihninda. But under pressure from the extremists protesting against the decision, the Pakistan government kneeled down and compromised with an extremist group.
  • According to this agreement, the Pakistani government will not take any action against the petition against the release of Asea Bibi In addition, in the agreement, the government has also promised that Asea Bibi will not be allowed to leave Pakistan.
  • The question is, when will the government of Pakistan decide upon the policies of extremists under pressure? Pakistan has already seen a lot of bloodshed in the case of Asea Bibi.
  • In 2011, the assassination and secular governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, who had campaigned for the release of Asea Bibi, was executed by his own security guard. Mumtaz Qadri, who killed Taseer, was inspired by the discourse given by a cleric.
  • The then minority minister Shahbaz Bhatti was also murdered in the same year after urging for amendment in the blasphemy laws.
  • Pakistan has faced criticism from various national and international groups so far on the law of blasphemy. Significantly, this law has been considered as a law for atrocities on religious minorities. 
A recent study by the United Nations has shown that the damaged ozone layer is improving at a rate of 1 to 3 percent per decade. Significantly, ozone layer protects against cancer-causing hazardous solar rays.

Important point

  • During the four-year review of the Montreal Protocol, a decrease in ozone layer damage to substances and the resulting ozone layer was found to improve.
  • The phenomenon of the Antarctic ozone hole continues, but it is continuously improving.
  • As a result of adoption of the Montreal Protocol, we have been able to successfully avoid the horrors of ozone layer degradation.

Antarctic ozone hole

  • It has been expected that by the year 2060, there will be complete correction of the Antarctic ozone hole.
  • According to the evidence presented by the study workers, since the year 2000, the damaged ozone layer is improving at a rate of 1 to 3 percent per decade.
  • By the said estimated rate, the ozone layer will improve in the northern hemisphere and middle latitudes by 2030, in the southern hemisphere regions by 2050 and in the polar regions by 2060.
  • The use of chlorofluorocarbon carbon (which was used in refrigerators), carbon tetrachloride, Halon has been banned in all other types of products except Meadows inhaler (MDI) all over the world.
  • Since then, the Antarctic ozone hole is decreasing both in size and in depth.
  • Although all types of substances that damage the ozone layer have been banned, but there are reports of violations of the Montreal Protocol from time to time, including the production and emission reports of CFC-11 in East Asia.

Montreal Protocol

With the aim of controlling production and consumption of various substances that damage the ozone layer, many countries of the world had signed the Montreal Protocol on September 16, 1987. Which is today considered to be the most successful protocol in the world. Significantly, all the 196 countries in the world have signed on this protocol. There are three panels under the Montreal Protocol-
  1. Scientific estimation panel
    2.  
  2. Technology and Financial Assessment Panel.
    3.  
  3. Environmental Impact Assessment Panel


What is blasphemy?

  • This law was created during the British rule, under which if a person intentionally disrupts any object or any place to worship or disrupts any religious meeting then he will be punished.
  • Along with this, if someone insults the religious sentiments of someone by speaking or writing or in some instances, it was also considered illegal.
  • Under this law, punishment could be given for one to 10 years, in which there was also a provision for imposing penalties.
  • In the early 1980's, several sections were added in the penal code of Pakistan by amending the crimes related to religious matters.
  • These currents were divided into two sections- the first section was related to the anti-Ahmadi law and the second section was related to the Eshindanda law.
  • The blasphemy law was built and expanded in many installments. In a section in the year 1980 it was mentioned that if someone makes derogatory remarks against a person who believes in Islam, then he can be jailed for up to three years.
  • On the other hand, in another year, in 1982 another section said that if a person profanes the Koran, he will be punished for life imprisonment. In the year 1986, another section was added, in which it was said that the Prophet Mohammad will be punished for blasphemy and punishment for death or life imprisonment was recommended as per this section.
  • Ahmadi joined the anti-law in 1984. Under this law, the Ahmadi person was banned from behaving like a Muslim or similar and following his religion.

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