Jaranwala:

A report by the Standing Committee on Human Rights of the Pakistani Senate reveals that 179 Pakistani nationals are currently being held while they are accused of blasphemy and are awaiting trial. Additionally, 17 individuals who have previously been found guilty of blasphemy are awaiting a new trial.

The National Human Rights Commission of Pakistan or NHRC, which gathered and processed the data, called the statistics "heartbreaking" after they were made public in the wake of the incident in Jaranwala, a city in Punjab, that occurred in August of last year. In that incident, a mob of thugs destroyed several homes and churches after accusing two Christians of blasphemy.

Senator Walid Iqbal, the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, called for the establishment of a national coordination committee within the human rights ministry. Senator Iqbal said blasphemy laws are often misused as a means to resolve personal issues and thus result in suffering and unfair "collective punishment" for minority communities.

Meanwhile, a rights group has applauded a Pakistani court's decision to grant bail to a Christian couple who were charged with blasphemy for allegedly defiling the Quran and asked for revisions to the blasphemy laws in the Muslim-majority country. The judgment was described as a departure from the norm of Pakistan's legal system by Nasir Saeed, director of the UK-based Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), in a news release on October 19.

"This historic decision deviates from the norm, where trial courts frequently deny bail, burdening accused people with protracted legal battles that can reach the Supreme Court," Saeed said.

On October 18, Judge Javed granted bail to Kiran Bibi and Shaukat, claiming a lack of proof of "willful damage or defilement of the original text of the Holy Quran" as required by Section 295-B of the Pakistani Penal Code (PPC).

A bond of 100,000 Pakistani rupees ($357) was set for the pair, and police were told to launch a "more extensive inquiry" into the claims.