Shaukat Javed, son of Umar Deen, is an elderly Christian Pakistani citizen who was falsely
accused of blasphemy against the companions of the Prophet. Shaukat Javed resides in Mohalla Shah, Faisalabad, Attock, in a room within the boundaries of the Christian cemetery.
The local residents refer to the Christian cemetery as the “Choorha’s Cemetery”, a derogatory term, and throw garbage in the cemetery disrespecting the cemetery and Christians.
This angered Shaukat Javed, who often tried to stop his neighbors from throwing garbage in the cemetery. The locals, intending to trap Shaukat Masih, first falsely accused him of selling 600 grams of hashish, for which an FIR was filed on May 1, 2024. After being in custody for about 20 to 22 days, Shaukat Masih was released on bail. When the locals saw that he was released on bail, they then falsely accused him of blasphemy against the companions of the Prophet. The FIR for blasphemy against the companions was filed on May 30, 2024.
Shaukat Javed says that he has not committed any disrespect towards the companions; rather, these people are trying to trap him with a repeated barrage of false accusations. Shaukat Javed stated that “Christians are often trapped in false cases, while no laws are enforced when it comes to the disrespect of our Christian cemetery. We are considered inferior because of our faith and are labeled with derogatory terms like ‘Choorha’.”
The Christian community stands with Shaukat Masih, requesting compassion towards the
situation and appealing for their basic human dignity. No group of people should be regarded
as second-class citizens in society. The government should legislate to provide protection to
Pakistani minorities, and all state institutions should be active in ensuring basic human rights to all. The cycle of false cases of blasphemy must come to an end.