STORY OF IMRAN JOHN, KNOWN AS IMRAN GHAFOOR
Ghafoor Masih Gill, a resident of Faisalabad District, ran a general store at the corner of the street where he lived for 45 years. He was well known as an honest and kind-hearted human among the majority Muslim residents, and the street was even known by his name, as “Chacha Ghafoor wali gali”. The family of Ghafoor Masih, including his six children, had cordial relations with their Muslim neighbors. According to one of the sons, Naveed John, the neighboring shopkeepers, namely Haji Liaquat Ali and Faryad Ali Jat, harboured business jealousy against Ghafoor Masih (Masih means Christian), and wanted to seize his shop and pressure the shop owner into expelling the Christians from the shop.
On July 1, 2009, at about 2:15 in the afternoon, Imran and his father Ghafoor collected some
waste material including some old papers and placed them beside the electricity pole to burn.
According to Naveed John, he heard announcements from the area mosques, declaring to the
inhabitants that an infidel Christian, Imran Masih (Christian), has burnt the Quran. Naveed John said, “My father Ghafoor Masih was not at home and I immediately rushed towards the shop and saw people attacking our shop and brutally beating my mother. When I tried to rescue her, I was also beaten by the protesters belonging to Kahatam-e-Nabuwat religious group. In the meantime, my brother Imran John also came and he was captured by the mob and mercilessly beaten by the angry mob. The protesters looted and destroyed our shops. I also heard announcements from the loudspeaker of the area mosque against my brother Imran John.”
According to Imran John, “I was on the way back and the moment I entered the street I noticed a mob shouting and chanting slogans. I was totally unaware of what was going on and when I reached near my shop, I saw people viciously beating my mother and brother Naveed John. I jumped in to try to rescue my mother and brother. I was brutally beaten by the mob and was near death when the police rescued me from the clutches of the infuriated mob of the religious party and moved me and my brother Naveed John to an undisclosed location.”
After Arrest:
The police recovered the burnt material as a case property (material evidence) and Imran John was charged under accusations of burning the pages of Quran. A case FIR No. 622 dated 01- 07-2009 was registered as an offence under section 295-A & 295-B PPC at the police station Sargodha Road, Faisalabad. In police custody Imran was brutally treated and the police tied him to the chair with ropes, and tortured him with a wooden rod, kicks, punches and with the leather strap to his back. Their Shop was forcibly taken by Farayad Ali Jat and Haji Liaquat Ali and the family lost their source of livelihood.
Blasphemy Case Trial and Ill-Treatment in Prison:
Imran John said, “During my imprisonment I was subjected to torture and faced ill-treatment by the jail police as well as by the inmates. My tongue was pulled with a plier and I remained in agony and pain, now I can cannot speak fluently. I was kept in solitary confinement and never provided proper food or other necessities. I also was kept in the cell of mentally disabled people where I faced problems of hygiene, as the mentally disabled people were not able to dress themselves nor go to the toilet. Their clothes constantly remained wet and smelly with urine. I spent seven months in this cell and unable to recite prayer. I was also faced with the arrogance of jail staff and fellow inmates who hated me because of the accusations of burning the pages of the Quran. Whenever my father and mother came for case hearings, my mother was weeping and asking the lawyer when my son will be released. Over this depression, fear, and anxiety, she lost her eyesight, whereas my father developed diabetes. During the case hearing and in the court premises, Iftikhar, the husband of our sister died due to depression and worries, and our opponents expressed joy and happiness over this sad demise.”
“Time passed and my case trial was fixed before Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan (Additional Sessions
Judge, Faisalabad). On 11 January, 2010, the Judge convicted me under section 295-A & 295-B
Pakistan Penal Code, and under 295-A PPC sentenced me to 10 years rigorous imprisonment
and fined me Rs. 100,000/- (US $565); in default of payment of fine I will further undergo 6 months simple imprisonment. He also convicted me under section 295-B PPC for deliberately defiling, damaging, and desecrating the excerpts of Holy Quran and sentenced me for Life Imprisonment (25 years imprisonment).”
Appeal before the Lahore High Court Lahore:
The trial court judgment was totally biased and illegal. Imran John filed an appeal No. 233 of 2010 titled (Imran Masih VS The State & Another) on 27 January 2010 before the Lahore High Court against the trial court judgment and his unlawful and illegal conviction. The case appeal
took almost 10 years to fix before the High Court Bench, and in between, the case appeal was
fixed but delayed and relisted by the office of the High Court Judges for months. The miseries
compounded as Imran’s father Ghafoor died on 23 March 2018, and mother also passed away
on 31 January 2020.
Acquittal from Charges:
Finally, the Lahore High Court fixed a case appeal on 15 December 2020 before Honorable Mr. Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan. In his judgment the Judge noticed statements of witnesses that there had been no such type of complaint ever registered against Imran. The Judge also concluded that according to the investigation report, the burnt pages were not of the Quran. He was released on 20 December 2020. He was moved to live with a friend of the lawyer. While residing with that friend, Imran and his brother Naveed John and family constantly remained in fear of their lives. Imran was under stress and was not feeling secure. He moved to live with his relatives for family support; however, the families of these relatives were also concerned about keeping Imran and his family, as they are aware of assassinations of people who helped blasphemy-accused persons. Once Imran became sick and as his condition worsened, it was not possible to take him to the hospital, and he had to cope with
his illness without proper medical care. Imran and his family have paid a heavy price over these false and frivolous accusations and allegations. The siblings lost their parents, their business, and their own house. Because of their situation they are not able to stay at one place and instead must move from place to place. The children of his elder brother are not able to go to the school to continue their studies. Imran, his brother Naveed, and families escaped persecution and moved to a third country to seek asylum though UNHCR, and have contacted Canadian Aid to Persecuted Christians for further help to move to a safe country. In our WhatsApp meetings we discuss the challenges and crises faced by the family.
Additional information can be found at the following: