By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) - There was concern Friday about the declining health of Pakistani Pastor Zafar Bhatti, who has been held in prison for 12 years and faces execution by hanging for alleged blasphemy against Islam.
“On May 2nd, a pastor was able to visit him at the Adyala Prison in Rawalpindi. The visiting Christian leader reported that Zafar's health remains a serious concern,” said advocacy group Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC).
“Prison doctors have expressed alarm that his heart function is very poor and there are no further treatment options available,”
VOMC said in a statement to Worthy News.
Zafar's wife, Nawab, is also in poor health, Christians said. Blind in one eye, she reportedly developed cataracts in the other.
Although cataract surgery is being arranged, she is currently unable to visit her husband in prison, according to Christians familiar with her situation.
Authorities arrested Bhatti after he was accused of sending text messages “insulting” Islam’s Prophet Muhammad's mother. Bhatti was reportedly tortured into confessing, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
“On May 3, 2017, Bhatti was sentenced to life in prison for "insulting the Prophet Muhammad.” Bhatti has reportedly been attacked while in prison,” the USCIRF concluded in a report seen by Worthy News.
CONVICTION UPHELD
On June 22, 2021, Bhatti's conviction was upheld by a sessions court judge in the Rawalpindi District, but in January 2022, the Rawalpindi Sessions Court sentenced Bhatti to death, Christians said.
However, Bhatti reportedly has diabetes and heart disease and experiences frequent headaches, among other issues.
“During his time in prison, Zafar has faced various health issues. Diagnosed with diabetes, he suffered two minor heart attacks in 2019 and another in 2020,” VOMC recalled.
Despite these difficulties, the detained believer is continuing to appeal his death and prison sentences.
While a court hearing had been scheduled for May 2, Christians said no judge “was willing” to hear his case.
Consequently, the appeal session is currently listed as “pending” with no set date, Worthy News learned.
Bhatti’s supporters say that although he has “a strong case” that judges in Pakistan have been “unwilling” to hear blasphemy appeals “due to intimidation and pressure” to hand down convictions, “regardless of the evidence.”
PRAYERS URGED
VOMC said it had asked for prayers “on behalf of Zafar Bhatti and his lawyers that God will grant them wisdom and guidance as they consider their next steps.”
The group said it prayerfully remains hopeful that his health will imprint and that judges will grant him freedom.
Pakistan, a strict Islamic nation, has come under international pressure to change its blasphemy legislation that critics say led to numerous detentions and contributed to extrajudicial killings of Christians and others.
At least 89 citizens were killed in 1,415 accusations and cases of blasphemy in the country since independence, rights investigators estimate.
The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) estimates that from 1947 to 2021, 18 women and 71 men were extra-judicially killed over blasphemy accusations.
The allegations were made against 107 women and 1,308 men.