The Times of India SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2002
Pak court awards death sentence for blasphemy PTI ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani man, who once worked for the husband of noted human rights activist Asma Jahangir, has been sentenced to death by a court in Lahore for making derogatory remarks about Islam. Besides the death penalty, Additional District and Sessions Court judge Sardar Ahmed Naeem imposed a fine of Rs 2.70 lakh on Wajih-ul-Hassan, 26, on Saturday after upholding charges against him that he made derogatory remarks about Prophet Mohammad. "In Islam, there are clear rules and regulations to check every kind of mischief and the Shariah (law) shows no leniency to those whose evil and malicious conduct tarnishes the dignity and honour of the Ummah," the judge said. Hassan, who was arrested on May 25, 2001, in Iqbal Town, was convicted even though he denied the charges levelled against him by the complainant Ismail Qureshi, a lawyer. He also denied that he was a converted Christian saying he "is a Muslim and all the allegations levelled against him are false". Hassan claimed that Qureshi nursed a grudge against Jahangir and her associate Hina Jilani after they registered a police complaint against him. Hassan said since he and his father previously worked in the office of Jahangir's husband he has been framed up in the case. Hassan was convicted on the grounds that he made an extra-judicial confessional statement before prosecution winesses Waseem and his friend Naveed, that he had been converted to Christianity. He also confessed before them that he wrote letters to Qureshi in which derogatory language was used against the Prophet, The News daily reported today. Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.
