ISLAMABAD: Amid reports of many Christian families fleeing the town near the federal capital in fear of a backlash, President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday sought a detailed report on the arrest of an 11-year-old Christian girl on blasphemy charges.

Rifta Masih – who suffers from Down’s Syndrome – was jailed by the police in Meharabadi village, near Islamabad, on Saturday after being severely beaten up by locals, for allegedly burning 10 pages of the Noorani Qaida.

After the issue was highlighted in the media, Islamabad police registered a case against the imam of the local mosque of Meharabad area near G-11 sector for instigating locals to set the minor girl on fire.

“Investigation is under way and the authenticity of the incident, age of the girl and her motive are yet to be determined,” said the station house officer (SHO) of the Qasim Niazi police station. Instead of trying to contain the situation and allaying tensions in the area through deployment of police, the SHO simply asked the Christian community of the area to run for their lives.

The official revealed that a new FIR has been registered against the cleric and 175 others who he claimed have approached the police with a demand to hand over the Christian girl so she could be set on fire publicly at the main chowk of the area. more