MULTAN: A Pakistani court Saturday sentenced four people to death for blasphemy, allegedly because they posted sacrilegious material on social media about Islamic religious figures and the Holy Qur’an. Their lawyer said appeal preparations are underway.
Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or its religious figures can be sentenced to death. Authorities have yet to carry out such a penalty, although the accusation of blasphemy and opposition to the law can incite mob violence or reprisals.
Judge Tariq Ayub in the city of Rawalpindi declared that blasphemy, disrespect to holy figures, and desecration of the Holy Qur’an were unforgivable offenses and left no room for leniency.
Along with the death sentences, the judge imposed collective fines of 4.6 million rupees (around $16,500) and handed down jail terms to each of the four should a higher court overturn their death sentences.
The men’s lawyer, Manzoor Rahmani, criticized the court’s decision and investigating authorities’ lack of evidence.
“The doubts and uncertainties that arise in such cases are ignored by the courts, likely due to the fear of religious backlash and potential mob violence against the judge if the accused is acquitted,” said Rahmani.
“We are preparing our appeals against the decision and will go to the High Court.”
Anti-blasphemy measures introduced in Pakistan in the 1980s made it illegal to insult Islam.
Since then, people have been accused of insulting the religion, desecrating its texts, or writing offensive remarks on the walls of mosques. Critics of the law say it is used to settle personal disputes.
Pakistani court sentences four people to death for blasphemy
https://arab.news/6h5js
Pakistani court sentences four people to death for blasphemy
- Under Pakistan’s laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or its figures can be sentenced to death
- Authorities have yet to carry out such a penalty, although opposition to the law can incite reprisals
Thousands of Afghans displaced by Kabul-Islamabad conflict
- The neighbors have clashed since Thursday when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in retaliation for Pakistani air strikes
- Islamabad has hit back along the border and with fresh air strikes, bombing multiple sites including the former US air base at Bagram
KABUL: More than 8,000 Afghans have been forced from their homes by fighting with Pakistani forces along the border in recent days, the Taliban government said Tuesday.
The neighbors have clashed along the frontier since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in retaliation for Pakistani air strikes.
Islamabad has hit back along the border and with fresh air strikes, bombing multiple sites including the former US air base at Bagram, the capital Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar.
“Due to these brutal bombings and attacks, 8,400 of our families have been displaced, forced to leave their villages and homes,” Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said at a news conference.
An AFP journalist near the frontier has spoken to residents who have fled the clashes.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry reported “extensive and heavy offensive and revenge attacks” across seven provinces over the past day.
The government acknowledged earlier air strikes on Bagram for the first time.
“Yes, the enemy targeted Bagram as well, but there were no casualties or damage,” defense ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khowarazmi said.
Two residents told AFP on Sunday that they heard air strikes in Bagram, north of the capital.
Pakistani security sources said strikes at Bagram were based on “credible intelligence” to disrupt the “supply of critical equipment and stores” for Afghan soldiers and militants fighting Pakistan forces along the frontier.
They said Pakistan reserves the right to respond to the Taliban government’s “aggression along its border by striking legitimate targets at the time and place of its own choice.”
Pakistani fighter jets also flew nighttime sorties over Kabul, another security source told AFP.
UN ‘ALARMED’
Islamabad’s confirmation that its aircraft flew over the Afghan capital came hours after AFP journalists in the city heard multiple explosions.
The blasts were heard alongside anti-aircraft weapons and gunfire from across the city.
An AFP journalist in Jalalabad city, between Kabul and the frontier, reported hearing explosions and various weapons being fired.
At the nearest border crossing, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Jalalabad, residents in Torkham told AFP the days-long fighting was ongoing.
The latest casualties include three children killed in a “crime committed by the Pakistani military regime” in Kunar province, Fitrat said Monday.
At least 39 civilians have been killed since Thursday, the Afghan government said, a toll which Pakistan has not commented on.
The UN children’s charity said it was “alarmed” by reports of child casualties in the conflict, and called on all sides to “exercise maximum restraint, protect civilian lives.”
Pakistan said its February air strikes that sparked the escalation were targeting militants.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government rejects.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday it was “never too late to talk,” but warned: “We will finish this menace.”
The Afghan defense ministry spokesman said more than 25 soldiers have been killed, while estimating Pakistani fatalities among troops at around 150.
Pakistan says more than 430 Afghan soldiers have been killed, with more than 630 wounded.
Casualty claims from both sides are difficult to verify independently.
The violence of recent days is the worst since October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbors largely shut since.
