Bid to curb abuse of blasphemy laws

Pakistan plans to introduce new legislation to curb the misuse of its notorious blasphemy laws, writes Ellen Teague.

A draft bill is to be presented in Parliament to tackle the worst abuses, which have seen people targeted because of inter-religious hatred or to settle squabbles. Individuals with mental-health problems have been singled out, and mobs have killed alleged blasphemers without any legal process to establish guilt.

The new legislation seeks to prevent extremists taking the law into their own hands and is likely to introduce penalties for false accusations of blasphemy. The spur to action by politicians is said to be international concern over the rising tide of misuse of the blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty.