Fatwa forbids baseless blasphemy allegations in Pakistan
Clerics call for complete inquiries into cases after clearing five people of blasphemy over wording on a shoe sole
An officer at Mansehra police station holds the controversial shoe. (Photo supplied)
Clerics of a major political party have issued a religious decree urging careful inquiries into blasphemy cases following a police raid on a shoe shop in northwest Pakistan.
The fatwa was issued after police arrested five people on Feb. 11 from Forever Boot, a shop in Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Local journalists had earlier filed a blasphemy case against the shop owner for allegedly printing the name Muhammad on a shoe sole.