Changes To Pakistan's Blasphemy Law Challenged

According to M and C, a Pakistani court yesterday temporarily blocked action on government-proposed amendments to relax the country's blasphemy laws while the court considers a citizen's petition claiming that Parliament does not have a constitutional right to amend the country's laws relating to religion.  Meanwhile according to Cath News India, the Anglican Bishop of Lahore has criticized a proposed change to Pakistan’s blasphemy law that would outlaw insulting the Christian religion. Debate over the blasphemy law has increased since a Punjab district court sentenced a Christian woman, Asa Bibi, to death on blasphemy charges. (See prior posting.) Anglican Bishop Alexander John Malik said: "Jesus does not need a worldly law for His honor. We reject such a notion because extremists can take advantage of it."