Five different cases have been filed for the custody of the children of Shama and Shahzad Masih, the Pakistani Christian couple who were accused of blasphemy and burned alive by Muslim radicals in November.
The couple’s three children, 6-year-old Suleman, 4-year-old Sonia, and 18-month-old Poonam, are currently living with their maternal grandfather, who has already been met by BPCA Officer Mehwish Bhatti.
Those applying to take the children at the Court of Lahore are Mukhtar Masih, the grandfather; maternal uncle Yasin Masih; paternal uncle Iqbal Masih; the nonprofit Child Protection and Welfare Bureau; and the Legal Evangelical Association Development organization led by Christian lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill.
Shama and Shahzad Masih’s deaths gained international attention when they were brutally attacked by a mob of more than 1,000, after it was alleged that Shama had burned verses of the Koran while she was disposing of items from her late father-in-law.
It was later discovered that the items that Shama burned were material that the father-in-law used to practice black magic. Shama’s father said;
“Shama burned the amulets and some other related material, assuming that this was the best way to get rid of ‘evil stuff. She later threw the ashes on a garbage heap outside their home when Muhammad Irfan, a Muslim co-worker, noticed some half-burnt pieces of paper from the amulets and raised a clamor, claiming that Shahzad’s family had desecrated Koranic pages.”
Accused of committing blasphemy, Shama and Shahzad Masih were beaten and burned by a mob.
It was originally reported that at least 44 people were initially arrested after the murders.
In Pakistan, it is illegal to set fire to religious text and can be punishable by the nation’s blasphemy laws that lead to the death penalty. However, reports state that “vigilante mobs” tend to take matters into their own hands. The Pakistani government has also spoken out against mob attacks.
Shahbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Punjab, has promised to take care of the orphaned children and will provide them with free education and healthcare. Additionally, the family has received compensation of 10 acres of land and 5 million rupees, or close to $50,000, after the incident.
Gill, meanwhile, has argued that the children need to be raised in a Christian home: “If the three were assigned to LEAD the children would be brought up in a Christian environment, as is their right.”
The hearing for the custody case is scheduled for 6th February 2015.