LAHORE – A sessions court has sentenced four men to death in a blasphemy case involving alleged circulation of blasphemous material through social media platforms, handing down multiple prison terms and financial penalties after concluding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Nusrat Ali Siddiqui Malik announced verdict, convicting the four men under several provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016. Under Section 295-C of the PPC, each convict was sentenced to death and fined Rs500,000.
The court awarded each man life imprisonment under Section 295-B, 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a Rs100,000 fine under Section 295-A, three years’ imprisonment and a Rs100,000 fine under Section 298-A, and seven years of rigorous imprisonment with a further Rs100,000 fine under Section 11 of PECA.
Despite identifying procedural shortcomings in the handling of forensic evidence, the judge held that the material presented before the court was sufficient to sustain the convictions. The court also acquitted the four men of charges relating to criminal conspiracy and common intention under Sections 120-B and 34 of the PPC. The judge observed that the evidence suggested the accused had acted independently rather than as part of a common plan.
The sentences have been ordered to run concurrently, except for additional imprisonment that may arise from non-payment of fines. The period already spent in custody will be deducted from the sentences in accordance with the court’s order.
The death sentences will now be referred to the Lahore High Court for confirmation, a mandatory step before the penalties can be carried out. The convicts retain the right to appeal against the verdict within 30 days.
The case dates back to May 2022, when a citizen’s complaint prompted the registration of a first information report (FIR) on May 24 by the FIA’s then cybercrime wing. According to FIR, material alleged to be blasphemous was circulated through several mobile phone numbers in a WhatsApp group presented as a platform for Quranic education.
FIA conducted technical analysis that linked one of the numbers to a suspect. Investigators raided his Lahore residence on May 22, 2022, and seized a laptop and two mobile phones for examination.
The agency said its analysis of the devices allegedly uncovered content deemed derogatory to the Holy Quran and Islamic sacred figures, which had reportedly been shared through Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
Blasphemy Death sentences overturned over lack of solid evidence
News Desk
The writer is a staff member.