Pronouncing a verdict in a Jaranwala blasphemy case, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Faisalabad on Friday handed down the death penalty to Pervaiz alias Kodu Masih besides fining him Rs3.5 million, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The court sentenced Pervaiz to death under Section 295-C besides imposing Rs2 million on him in fine.
Under Section 295-A, it sent him to 10 years behind bars besides fining him Rs1 million, while under Section 295, the court handed him life imprisonment.
The court acquitted the other two accused namely Daud William Masih and Shahid Aftab alias Boby Masih, giving them the benefit of the doubt.
The Jaranwala incident refers to attacks by a mob of hundreds of people on Christian communities on August 16, 2023.
The attacks were triggered by allegations of blasphemy.
The mob ransacked and torched five churches, attacked the residences of members of the Christian community and the office of the local assistant commissioner, following an alleged incident of blasphemy.
The district administration had to impose Section 144 for seven days, prohibiting all kinds of assembly, except for events organised by the government.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government gave directives to form a high-level committee to investigate the incident, in line with orders issued by the caretaker prime minister.
The violence erupted after some locals alleged that several desecrated pages of the Holy Quran had been found near a house at Cinema Chowk in Jaranwala, where two Christian brothers resided.
The news of the alleged act spread like a wildfire across the city after those who had levelled the allegations approached different mosques, from where announcements were made to incite people to show their “reaction” to the incident.
Reporter: Azadar Hussain