Asif Hassan—AFP
Local residents complained faith healer was using a sword in his treatment that was inscribed with Islamic verses.
Police in Sargodha have arrested a Christian faith healer under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws for having Islamic script on a sword he used to treat his clients, officials said Monday.
Naveed John was arrested in Sargodha on Oct. 8 after Muslim residents in the area complained, said local police official Ameer Mukhtar.
“The arrest was made after residents complained that the Christian man used a sword for healing patients on which Islamic verses were inscribed and it was offending their religious sentiments,” Mukhtar said.
A case was registered against John under the blasphemy law, a section of which deals with outraging the religious feelings of citizens, he said. The accused regarded the sword as a “sacred” item, which had healing properties when placed on patients.
Offenders can be imprisoned for up to 10 years under the law.
Investigator Mahmood Ahmad Khan said that police had completed their investigations and submitted a court report.
Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, an Islamic republic of some 200 million, where even unproven allegations can stir mob violence and lynchings. Critics including European governments say the country’s blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores.