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.