Man gets death penalty for blasphemy on social media

RAWALPINDI: A local court on Thursday awarded death penalty to a person accused of committing blasphemy on social media.

Anti-Terrorism Special Court Judge Malik Ijaz Asif also announced 32 years in jail and a fine of Rs0.5 million for the convict, a resident of Chakwal.

The Federal Investigation Agency’s cybercrime wing in August 2018 had registered the case against him under Sections 7, 9 and 11 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, Sections 295-A, 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, and under Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016. The convict was accused of creating an account on Facebook and posting controversial speeches and images. The court sentenced the accused to death under Section 295-C.