File photo of a Quran. PHOTO: FILE
Additional Sessions Judge Chaudhry Zafar Iqbal on Friday awarded death sentence to a man he found guilty of blasphemy.
According to the prosecution, Imam Ali, 63, a resident of Haroonabad, was found drawing pictures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) on the walls of his room. Police said Ali had been a devotee of Habib Abdullah Shah and the caretaker of his shrine in Bahawalnagar. He was arrested in 2011. Qari Muhammad Ahmed, 27, the complainant, said, “I found the drawings in his room.” Saddar police registered a case against Ali in March 2011. A nephew of Ali’s said that several lawyers had refused to take up the defence case fearing a backlash.
The judge also fined Ali Rs100,000. Ali told The Express Tribune he believed blasphemy law was unjust. “Unfortunately, there is no way out of such situations for a poor man like me.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2013.
COMMENTS (12)
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@Joseph....I wonder if this protest will be on the BBC news, I very much doubt it.
I frequently see muslims claiming that there is no need for man made laws ( in fact muslims are planning a protest in London in January to protest against gambling and man made law ) - BUT they are obsessed to an insane level by this one particular law - also man made.
If nobody knows what mohammed looked like then HOW could anyone tell these were his pictures that were drawn ???? .
No, @sabi, no. The blasphemy law should be repealed. Fully and unconditionally.
Law (especially in Pakistan) is like spider's web; elephant walks through it but fly gets trapped. (Borrowed from a deceased Sindhi lawyer who practiced law in Sindh.) Blasphemy law illustrates this point very well.
A brutal and unjust law which has no place in a civilized country.
Where are UN and other champions of "Human rights?" May be they don't regard victims like Mr Ali a "Human!"
@sabi: "If judges and lawyers of lower courts are so scare of Mullah,which indeed they are, blasphemy cases must be referred to hc or sc for speedy and true justice."
"Suo moto" has jumped head first in every other case and has been omnipresent for past many years but on this issue vanishes without a trace, wonder why?
Didn't realize that even ET has to be "discrete and deferential" to so many and so powerful holy cows! I don't know why ET is so fearful to engage in an honest intellectual discussion about certain absurd laws which are designed with explicit intent to kill weak and innocent in The Islamic Republic of Pakistan? Laws like blasphemy, constitutional declaration making certain sect non Muslim etc are bizarre and against any basic human value. Leave the nuclear issue alone; these two laws are enough to get Pakistan declared a pariah state and be subject to severe international sanctions. I was bit surprised that you could not publish my comment exploring the logic used in this particular case!
Silence is deafening!
If judges and lawyers of lower courts are so scare of Mullah,which indeed they are, blasphemy cases must be referred to hc or sc for speedy and true justice.