Pakistani court sentences Christian to death for blasphemy

Lahore: A Pakistani court has sentenced a Christian to death for publishing a “blasphemous post” on social media that sparked a mob attack that led to dozens of churches and homes belonging to members of the minority community being burned down in Punjab province last year, officials said on Monday.

In August 2023, at least 24 churches and over 80 Christian homes were burned down by an angry mob in Tehsil Jaranwala in Faisalabad district, about 130 kilometers from the provincial capital Lahore, over reports that two Christians had desecrated the Quran.

Following the incident, the police arrested over 200 Muslims, but interestingly, none of them have been convicted so far. In fact, 188 of them have been released by the court either due to lack of evidence or on bail.

Special Anti-Terrorism Court (Sahiwal) Judge Ziaullah Khan on Saturday pronounced the death sentence on Ahsan Raja Masih and imposed a fine of one million rupees on him. He was also sentenced to a total of 22 years’ imprisonment under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and Prevention of Cyber ​​Crimes Act (PECA).

Masih is alleged to have shared “blasphemous content” on TikTok and hurt the sentiments of Muslims. Following a complaint by a police officer, proceedings have been initiated against him under various sections of the PPC, ATA and PECA.

All Minorities Alliance chairman Akmal Bhatti said that despite a period of about a year, not a single conviction has been made against those (Muslims) accused of setting fire to dozens of churches and Christian houses in Jaranwala.

“Currently, almost twelve Muslim defendants are on trial, while the rest have either been discharged from the case or released on bail,” he lamented.

The Pakistani government had made big promises after the incident: it had declared that not a single suspect involved in the burning of churches and Christian homes would be spared.

Blasphemy allegations are widespread in Pakistan. Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death. Most blasphemy cases in the country are registered primarily to settle grudges between the complainant and the accused. Minorities, including Christians and Hindus, are often subjected to blasphemy allegations.

According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in 2021, 96.47 percent of the population in the country is Muslim, followed by 2.14 percent Hindus, 1.27 percent Christians, 0.09 percent Ahmadi Muslims and 0.02 percent others.