Follow Us on Google News
MULTAN: A Christian youth was sentenced to death and 22 years in prison for sharing an inciting social media post that sparked riots in Jaranwala last August.
Special Judge Ziaullah Khan of an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Sahiwal announced the verdict following allegations of Quran desecration, which led to mob violence and extensive damage to Christian homes and churches.
During the riots in Jaranwala, dozens of Christian homes and around 20 churches were vandalized and ransacked by mobs after accusations of desecrating a copy of the Holy Quran. Punjab police reported that around 135 individuals had been charged for the attacks on the minority community in Jaranwala.
However, according to Advocate Akmal Bhatti, chairman of the Minorities Alliance, most of the accused have either been discharged or released on bail, with only 12 people currently facing trials. Earlier this year, a Faisalabad court acquitted two Christian brothers who were wrongly accused of blasphemy. The convicted youth faced charges under various sections, including blasphemy and electronic crimes, based on allegations that he shared blasphemous content on social platforms.