A pastor who became Pakistan’s longest serving blasphemy prisoner has died just two days after being acquitted and released.
Zafar Bhatti died of a heart attack at the weekend, according to Release International,
The 62-year-old was accused in 2012 of sending two text messages which allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
It’s understood he was tortured to extract a confession, but he always insisted he was innocent. Release International said several reports at the time proved that the phone SIM referred to was not registered to Zafar, but to a woman who was later arrested, charged, and granted bail. She died in November 2016 from Hepatitis C.
Zafar, who consistently denied the charges, eventually came to trial in 2017, with proceedings being conducted inside prison because of security threats. In May 2017, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. In December 2021, this was increased to the death sentence.
While in prison, Zafar experienced pressure from Muslim prisoners to convert to Islam and was beaten several times. His wife Nawab struggled to make ends meet after her husband’s arrest.
He was released on 3rd October this year and shortly before his death, he said Christians in Pakistan “lived under the sword” of the country’s blasphemy laws.
Release International’s CEO Paul Robinson said: “This is very sad news to hear, so soon after Zafar’s release from prison. We would ask supporters to pray for his widow, Nawab, and the family as they grieve.”