Police’s poor investigation, indifference led to woes of Nadeem Masih
ZUBAIR QURESHI
The Lahore district court’s recent verdict acquitting a visually-impaired Christian man in blasphemy case is widely hailed by human rights activists, advocates of legal reforms and the representatives of civil society alike.
While the verdict is being called and seen as wind of change, at the same time it has once again highlighted growing concerns over the misuse of blasphemy laws, with legal experts arguing that false accusations have become a tool for settling personal disputes while weak police investigations continue to fuel the trend.
Additional Sessions Judge, Saad Salman Khan acquitted Nadeem Masih earlier this month after the prosecution failed to produce credible evidence to support the allegations in a case that lingered for almost one year. The court found that the prosecution had failed to establish the charge beyond reasonable doubt, leading to Masih’s release after he spent nearly 10 months behind bars.
The case also raised serious questions about the quality of the police investigation. According to court proceedings, the prosecution failed to produce any video clip that could provide evidence of the offence. The police challan submitted before the court also lacked this crucial evidence, significantly weakening the prosecution’s case.
According to details, Nadeem Masih, 50 a graduate, was earning livelihood through operating a weight scale machine in one of Lahore’s parks Model Town Park. There he had some differences with the parking contractor or workers whom he had borrowed some money. However, when he demanded it back, they alleged that he committed blasphemy.
Under police procedures, investigations in blasphemy cases are required to be supervised by a senior officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) because of the sensitive nature of such allegations. However, the investigation in Masih’s case has drawn criticism, with observers questioning whether adequate supervision was exercised or whether the matter was left largely to junior investigating officials.
Masih was arrested on August 21, 2025, after the false charges levelled against him. The prosecution claimed the incident occurred at 11 p.m., although the park closes to the public at 9 p.m. Statements of two key prosecution witnesses also contained inconsistencies that weakened the case.
The Lahore court’s decision is being viewed by legal observers as an important reminder that allegations alone cannot substitute for evidence and that investigations in such sensitive cases must meet the highest legal standards. Masih’s family expressed relief after the verdict. His mother said the acquittal felt like a miracle after months of anxiety and uncertainty.
The case comes against the backdrop of rising blasphemy prosecutions in Punjab. According to the annual report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 812 people were imprisoned on blasphemy-related charges in the province during 2025, including 796 men, 15 women and one juvenile.
Several senior lawyers of the Islamabad District Courts and the Islamabad High Court, while requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, expressed concerns over the steady rise in blasphemy cases and what they described as serious procedural shortcomings in their investigation and prosecution.
They said loopholes in the existing system often work in favour of complainants while offering little immediate protection to those falsely accused, who frequently spend months or even years behind bars before their innocence is established.
Earlier, lawyers like Imaan Mazari and her husband Advocate Hadi Chattha used to take up such cases of sensitive nature without fee and represented the victims/accused in courts. However, since they are also in jail facing 17 years each for posting controversial tweets on social media, blasphemy accused in Islamabad are facing hard times finding it difficult to find a lawyer.
