LAHORE: A Pakistani man from the minority Shia community has been sentenced to death by a court in Punjab province for defaming Islam, officials said on Wednesday.
"Additional Sessions Judge (Faisalabad) Rana Sohail Tariq handed down the death sentence to suspect Wasim Abbas on the charges of insulting the Prophet. The court also imposed a fine of PKR 500,000 (over USD 2,820). In case of failure to pay the fine the convict will have to undergo two years imprisonment," a court official said.
Abbas was arrested by the Factory Area police in Faisalabad, 180 km from provincial capital Lahore, in June 2020 after a complaint was lodged against him for allegedly insulting the Prophet and his companions.
In the last few months, a Sri Lankan national and a mentally challenged man were brutally killed by a mob in Punjab province over allegations of blasphemy.
Pakistan has extremely strict blasphemy laws against defaming Islam, including the death penalty, and rights campaigners say they are often used to settle scores in the Muslim majority country.