Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani police say a Muslim cleric planted evidence to link a Christian girl to blasphemy -- a new twist in a case that has fanned flames of religious tension in the country and attracted worldwide interest. The imam, Khalid Jadoon Chishti, will himself face blasphemy charges for tearing pages out of a Quran to use as evidence against the girl, Islambad police chief Bin Yamin said. The latest development may make it easier for the girl, 14-year-old Rimsha, to be released on bail at her next court hearing. Police arrested Rimsha last month after a neighbor accused her of burning pages containing texts from the Muslim holy book, the Quran.
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NEW: The imam involved in the case is himself accused of descrating a Quran
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Rimsha, a teenaged girl, is accused of burning Islamic religious verses
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The case has heightened religious tensions in Pakistan
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Pakistani authorities are under pressure to guarantee her safety
Khalid Jadoon Chishti
Even though Rimsha's lawyer said no one actually saw the girl burning the papers, the neighbor went to @placeholder -- the neighborhood cleric -- with the bags for safekeeping as evidence.
Khalid Jadoon Chishti
Police arrested @placeholder on Saturday after three witnesses told a judge about the imam's actions.
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In Rimsha's case, about 150 people gathered on August 17 -- the day she was arrested -- in the area where the neighborhood's @placeholder population lives and threatened to burn down their houses, police said.
Rimsha
Rimsha
Rimsha
@placeholder would remain in custody for its duration if bail is denied, he said.