A First Information Report regarding the incident says that residents of Risalpure discovered pages of the Quran in a drain. A video of the discovery was posted on social media and went viral.

Three days later, police arrested David Masih, a Christian from the Kachi Line area of Risalpure. The man was charged with committing blasphemy under Section 295-B of Pakistan’s Penal Code. Police say they have started their investigation into the case. If found guilty, Masih could face a life-long jail sentence. 

In Pakistan, false accusations of blasphemy are widespread and often motivated by personal vendettas or religious hatred. Accusations are highly inflammatory and have the potential to spark mob lynchings, vigilante murders, and mass protests.

Since Pakistan added Section 295-B and 295-C to the country’s blasphemy laws in 1987, the number of blasphemy accusations has skyrocketed. More than half of them target religious minorities, particularly Christians.

Currently, twenty-five Christians are imprisoned on blasphemy charges in Pakistan, including David Masih. These twenty-five Christians are defendants in twenty-two blasphemy cases represented at various levels of the judicial process in Pakistan.

Source: persecution.org