Pakistan: Christian nurse who fought corruption in hospital accused of blasphemy and tortured

In Pakistan, a Christian nurse who was falsely accused by her Muslim coworker of blasphemy was reportedly tied up and tortured by a mob in Karachi, Sindh, reports Organiser.

In Pakistan, often the minorities are targetted, attacked and even killed when they are accused of blasphemy and in this case nurse Tabeeta Nazir Gill, 30, was attacked and beaten by staff at the Sobhraj Maternity Hospital in Karachi.

Nurse Tabeeta Nazir Gill had worked for nine years at the hospital and was falsely accused by the head nurse of blasphemy after she challenged a coworker for accepting money from a patient.

As per reports, Gill was against staff receiving money and when she caught a Muslim coworker breaking the order, she filed a complaint and subsequently was accused of blasphemy which in Pakistan is an assured case for incarceration.
 
There is a video doing rounds wherein one man from the angry mob who was hellbent on lynching the Christain nurse, was attempting to climb through a window. There are also serious claims that she was tied up by the angry mob, tortured and locked inside a room before being taken to the police station.
 
Journalist Naila Inayat tweeted that Gill was beaten up by hospital staff alleging that she passed derogatory remarks and police were made to register a case after a mob surrounded the police station. 

In Pakistan, if a person is accused of blasphemy, it is most likely that he or she will be killed or made to spend years in jail. Also, blasphemy is punishable by death for people who insult the Prophet Muhammad, Islam, the Quran or certain holy people.

Recently a bank manager was killed by his security guard over allegation of blasphemy in the Punjab province. The killer was hailed as a hero.

In July 2020, an American-Pakistani, who was facing blasphemy allegations, was shot dead by a teenager in Peshawar inside a courtroom that had police presence.  

Life for a minority living in Pakistan is always at threat as 98 per cent of the population follows Islam and under the guise of blasphemy, Islamic religious groups often target Hindus, Christians, Ahmadis and Shias and use this archaic medieval law to intimidate minorities and settle personal scores.

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