Pakistani Senate committee to discuss ways to prevent misuse of blasphemy laws

A Pakistani Senate committee will be debating on how to prevent the country's blasphemy laws from being misused in settling personal grudges or for other ulterior motives.

Senator Farhatullah Babar, a member of the Senate Committee on Human Rights, told Reuters that discussions will be based on the recommendations from a 24-year-old report. He added that the committee is considering a proposal that will require the investigation of a complaint before registering a case to ensure that the law is not being used to settle personal scores, as what critics have claimed.

Babar said that the committee will also discuss whether life imprisonment would be an adequate punishment instead of the death penalty.

The current law prescribes life imprisonment for those who desecrate the Quran while the death penalty is reserved for "defiling" Islam's prophet, Muhammad.

Some religious conservatives expressed their intentions of opposing any changes to the law.

"Make new laws to punish those who abuse blasphemy laws. But no one can even think about changing this law," said Tahir Ashrafi, head of the influential Pakistan Ulema Council of Muslim clerics.

According to statistics from the Center for Research and Security Studies, hundreds of Pakistanis are currently on death row for blasphemy convictions, and at least 65 people have been killed over allegations of blasphemy since 1990.

Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, was one of the Pakistanis who were sentenced to death for insulting Muhammad. Her final appeal was scheduled to be heard last October, but it was canceled after the judge recused himself from the case.

In 2011, Pakistani Governor Salman Taseer was killed by his bodyguard for calling for the reform of the blasphemy law. His assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, has been hailed by Islamic hardliners as a hero, and tens of thousands of his supporters were present at his funeral after he was executed last year.

Last week, 150 activists were arrested while they were rallying in support of the blasphemy laws on the anniversary of the Punjab governor's assassination.

Police have also resisted the hardliners' demand to charge the governor's son, Shaan Taseer, with blasphemy for a Christmas message calling for prayers for those who were indicted under the "inhumane" legislation.

"This government has shown a firmer stance than the government when my father was martyred," said Shaan.