Report Issued On Blasphemy Cases In Pakistan

Pakistan's Daily Times says that the National Commission for Justice and Peace—a group formed by Pakistan's Catholic Bishops’ Conference-- has issued a report on blasphemy prosecutions in Pakistan. It found that 90 blasphemy cases were recorded in 2006, of which only 48 were registered with the police. Of those, 27 of the accused were Muslims, 10 were Christians and 11 were Ahmadis. Only 5 cases have been decided by the courts in 2006—with three resulting in life sentences. NCJP executive secretary Peter Jacob said that the blasphemy law is being exploited by some to create tensions in society.