A court in Sahiwal has sentenced two men to death for posting blasphemous content on Facebook in 2024.
According to reports, anti-terrorism court (ATC) Judge Ziaullah Khan also awarded the convicts seven years in prison, and a fine of Rs1.5 million each.
Police said that both men were booked in an FIR [First Information Report] under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), sections 7 and 9 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1996, and sections 10 and 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
The case was registered on September 22, 2024, at Chichawatni’s Saddar Police Station on the complaint of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shamasul Hasan Sabri, who, along with constables Imran Hyder and Mudasir Jahangir and driver Wakeel Ahmed, was on patrol duty when he came across the blasphemous post.
The post had also been shared by another man, a resident of Talagang, on his own Facebook account.
Officials alleged that the post had hurt the sentiments of Muslims and attempted to create religious hatred among communities.
In his verdict, the judge convicted and sentenced both men to death along with the seven-year jail term and fine. The convicts were later shifted to the Sahiwal Central Prison.
