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| Human rights groups have condemned the conditions Rimsha is being held in |
Pakistani
police have arrested an imam accused of planting burnt pages of the Koran in
the bag of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, officials say.
The girl
was detained two weeks ago near the capital Islamabad after an angry mob
demanded she be punished.
However, a
witness has testified that imam Khalid Chishti put the pages in the bag
himself, local media say.
The case of
the girl, named as Rimsha, who is said to be about 14, has sparked
international condemnation.
A report by
a government-appointed medical board seen by the BBC suggests the girl has a
mental age of less than 14.
Earlier
this week, a court extended Rimsha's detention at a maximum-security prison by
a further two weeks.
Her father
has said he fears for his daughter's life and for the safety of his family. He
has called on Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to pardon her.
Rimsha's
parents have been taken into protective custody following threats, and many
other Christian families have fled the neighbourhood.
Pakistan's
strict blasphemy laws are often used to settle personal vendettas,
correspondents say.
Last year
two leading politicians were assassinated after speaking out against the
legislation.
 |
This
photograph taken on August 24, 2012 shows
Hafiz Khalid Chishti, the Imam of a
local mosque, looking on
during an interview with AFP in Mehrabad, a suburb of
the capital
city of Islamabad. (AFP Photo/Farooq Naeem)
|
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| The girl, known as Rishma, was arrested on 16 August on charges of blasphemy |
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