ISLAMABAD: Police on Saturday told a court that a Christian girl who spent three weeks in jail is not guilty and a cleric who allegedly framed her should face trial instead.
Investigating Officer Munir Jafri said police could not find any evidence against Rimsha Masih, thought to be 14, who was accused in August of burning pages from the Holy Quran in a case which sparked an international outcry.
“We have also told the court that there are witnesses and evidence against the local Imam for framing a false blasphemy case against Rimsha,” Jafri told AFP.
Judge Ghulam Abbas Shah adjourned the case till Monday, September 24 to decide on whether Imam Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti should face trial. Rao Abdur Rahim, the counsel for Rimsha’s neighbour Hammad Malik who had accused her along with Chishti, said he was not satisfied with the police report. “This report is based on the bad intentions of the investigators and is made to prove Rimsha innocent. But, I will fight the case and make her face trial,” he told AFP.