Family urge care for blasphemy Scot

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 26 September 2014 | 15.38

26 September 2014 Last updated at 07:16

The family of a Scottish grandfather sentenced to death in Pakistan over blasphemy charges say he is not receiving the specialist care he needs.

Muhammad Asghar, 70, who previously lived in Edinburgh, is in hospital after being shot by a guard in prison.

His family say he has a long history of mental illness, including a diagnosis for severe paranoid schizophrenia.

He returned to live in Pakistan in 2010 and was arrested for writing several letters claiming to be a prophet.

A court in Rawalpindi convicted him of blasphemy earlier this year.

The family will hold a press conference in Glasgow on Friday.

'Critical'

Family solicitor Aamer Anwar urged First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene to see Mr Asghar moved to a secure medical facility and transferred to the UK.

He said: "To date the British government has failed to provide any meaningful assistance to Mr Asghar or his family.

"It is now too late to wait for discussions behind closed doors and other delaying tactics.

"The next 48 hours will be critical for Mr Asghar's personal safety."

The diagnosis for severe paranoid schizophrenia was not taken into account by the authorities during his trial, Mr Anwar said.

He added that prison doctors have failed to acknowledge the severity of his psychiatric illness and he has been given only the most basic antidepressant medication.

The attack took place at 08:30 local time inside the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, where he was being held.

A Rawalpindi police official told BBC Urdu's Shahzad Malik the gunman who shot the Scot is Mohammad Yousuf, a member of the Elite Force of police commandos.

He said Mr Yousuf walked into Mr Asghar's cell before shooting him.

Prison security, who ran to the scene when they heard the gunshots, were said to have overpowered and disarmed Mr Yousuf.

The extent of Mr Asghar's injuries remain unclear but officials and doctors say he is in a stable condition.

A doctor at the hospital where Mr Asghar was taken told AFP news agency he had "been shot from the back and the bullet has crossed his body affecting his ribs and lungs".

"He is out of danger now," he added.

Another report said at least one bullet had hit Mr Asghar in the arm.

Overcrowded

British politicians and activists have been campaigning for his release, urging the Pakistani government to intervene in his case so he can be treated.

Continue reading the main story

This appalling attack shows the only way to ensure Mr Asghar's safety is to have him returned home to Britain"

End Quote Maya Foa Reprieve charity

Adiala Jail is notorious for being overcrowded with poor conditions.

It is where Mumtaz Qadri, the "celebrated" police guard who killed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer in 2011, is also in custody. Qadri was sentenced to death after confessing to murdering Mr Taseer because he objected to his calls to amend a controversial blasphemy law.

Critics of the law say it can be used to persecute minority faiths and is sometimes exploited for grudges. The assassination divided Pakistan, with many hailing Qadri as a hero.

Mr Asghar was convicted under the blasphemy law in 2010 and filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court in February 2014 against his sentence, but it has yet to be heard.

Mr Asghar is now receiving treatment in hospital, but legal charity Reprieve - which is assisting him - remains "deeply concerned" about his security.

Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team at Reprieve said: "This appalling attack shows that the only way to ensure Mr Asghar's safety is to have him returned home to Britain.

"The UK government must redouble its efforts on this front - and as a first step, must urgently ensure that he is moved today to a safe location in Pakistan, until he is well enough to travel.

"Mr Asghar is a vulnerable, 70-year old man suffering from severe mental illness - a fact which has been consistently ignored by the Pakistani courts during his four year ordeal.

"David Cameron said he was 'deeply concerned' about his case earlier this year - but now we must see concrete action to ensure his safety."

On Thursday, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "We have raised our concerns with the local authorities at a senior level."


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