A Christian girl who was arrested under
Pakistan's controversial anti-blasphemy law may have moved a step closer to
freedom on Sunday after police detained a Muslim cleric on suspicion of
planting evidence to frame her.
Still, Rimsha Masih, whose arrest last
month angered religious and secular groups worldwide, may be in danger if she
returns from jail to her village.
Under Muslim Pakistan's anti-blasphemy law,
the mere allegation of causing offence to Islam can mean death. Those accused
are sometimes killed by members of the public even if they are found innocent
by the courts.
Masih was accused by Muslim neighbors of
burning Islamic religious texts and arrested, but on Sunday police official
Munir Hussain Jafri said a cleric had been taken into custody after witnesses
reported he had torn pages from a Koran and planted them in Masih's bag beside
burned papers.
The imam, Khalid Jadoon Chishti, appeared
briefly in court on Sunday before he was sent to jail for a 14-day judicial
remand.
Masih's case has raised a high level of
concern because of her age and media reports that she suffers from Down's
Syndrome.
Masih's arrest triggered an exodus of
several hundred Christians from her village after mosques reported over their
loudspeakers what the girl was alleged to have done.
REUTERS