Multan, Aug 07: A judge in Pakistan has sentenced a 60-year-old man to death after finding him guilty of making derogatory remarks about Islam and its prophet, Muhammad, a police official said today.
Chaudary Bashir was convicted yesterday under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, said local police official Hamid Mukhtar.
He was accused in 2001 by Maulana Mohammed Qasim, a cleric in Bhawalnagar, 190 km southwest of Multan, in the eastern province of Punjab. Qasim claimed that Bashir was preaching his own version of Islam and saying he had the same status as the prophet.
The conviction will automatically be appealed to the high courts.
Under Pakistan's blasphemy law, it is an offense punishable by death to offend Islam, its prophet or its holy book.

The laws have been criticized by international and Pakistani human rights groups. They say that they are easily abused and that the burden of proof is on the accused to prove their innocence. Only the word of an accuser is needed to prosecute a suspect on blasphemy charges.

Hundreds of people are believed to be in Pakistani jails under the blasphemy laws.
Bureau Report