A Pakistan court has handed death sentence to a Christian mechanic who was booked on charges of blasphemy nearly five years ago. Ashfaq Masih was arrested in June 2017 after he had an argument with a customer over the payment for his services, a report in The Friday Times said.
Pakistan is among the countries where blasphemy is punishable by death.
In June 2017, Masih repaired the bike of a person in Lahore and when he asked for payment, the customer did not pay the entire amount and sought a discount on the basis that he was a religious devotee.
However, Masih refused, saying he believed in Christ. Soon, a heated argument ensued between the duo and a crowd gathered. The crowd accused Masih of “disrespecting” the Prophet Muhammad. Masih allegedly then said that Jesus was supreme for Christians.
Soon, police arrived at the spot, arrested Masih and registered a blasphemy case against him, the report said. Since 2019, the case has witnessed multiple adjournments.
Masih, who is survived by a wife and daughter, was released in 2019 on parole to attend his mother’s funeral. After Masih’s arrest, reports said his family fled Lahore.
Last month, a court in Bahawalpur had acquitted five members of a Hindu family who were arrested a year ago on allegations of blasphemy.
However, there have been many recent instances where people have been sentenced to death under the blasphemy law.
In January this year, a 26-year-old woman was sentenced to death for posting “blasphemous material” as her WhatsApp status. She had sent caricatures of Prophet Muhammed.
A local Lahore court sentenced a school principal to death in September 2021 after she had claimed to be the “Prophet of Islam” in pamphlets she distributed.