February 9, 2022
2 mins read

Blasphemy: Pak court sentences Hindu teacher to life imprisonment


Nautan Lal has been sent back to Central Prison in Sukkur. In the past two years, his requests for bail have been rejected twice…reports Asian Lite News

A sessions court in Pakistan’s Ghotki has sentenced a Hindu man to life in prison on charges of blasphemy. Nautan Lal has been fined Rs 50,000 as well, Samaa TV reported.

Additional Sessions Judge Mumtaz Ali Solangi delivered the verdict on Tuesday. It has taken the court two years to pass the final order. Nautan Lal has been in jail since 2019 as an undertrial prisoner.

A case against Nautan Lal was also registered under Section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks).

He has been sent back to Central Prison in Sukkur. In the past two years, his requests for bail have been rejected twice, the report said.

On September 14, 2019, a video was shared on social media in which a teenager, a first-year Intermediate student, claimed that the owner of Ghotki’s Sindh Public Higher Secondary School had blasphemed himself.

According to teachers, however, Nautan Lal was just visiting that day. He does not actually teach at his school. He is a physics teacher at Government Degree College Ghotki, the report said.

Soon after, the head of a madrassa, Mufti Adul Karim Sayeedi of Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, registered a blasphemy case against the school owner.

Violence broke out in the district the night the case was registered. As the news spread, masked men attacked the Sacho Satram Dham Temple in Ghotki. They ransacked the temple, damaged its idols and battered its blue and green walls, Samaa TV reported.

Christians, women top blasphemy targets

Violence against Christians is on the rise in Pakistan, particularly among Christian women, according to a new report by the Center for Social Justice (CSJ).

CSJ reports suggest, roughly 70 per cent of female victims of extrajudicial murders on blasphemy charges come from these minority communities, and the bulk of the victims are Christian women.

“If you’re a Christian woman in Pakistan, you’re probably the most likely to be charged with blasphemy following torture, a lengthy trial, and, most likely, a death sentence are the end results,” reported Times of Israel.

Despite making up just 5 per cent of the population, minority populations are implicated in roughly one-third of all blasphemy cases, suggests the report’s findings.

Blasphemy laws in Pakistan are used to settle personal disputes, reported the Times of Israel.

Over half of the 484 members of minority communities charged with blasphemy were Christians (264), nearly 40 per cent were Ahmadis (188), and the rest were Hindus (21), Pervaizis (7), Ismailis (1), Sikhs (1), and Buddhists (2).

According to a report from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in Islamabad, of those accused of blasphemy, 89 have been subjected to extrajudicial murder by lynch mobs since the country’s inception in 1947.

Most of the cases, approximately 70 per cent, occurred in Punjab. The remaining instances primarily occurred in Sindh, where 177 accusations were reported during the ten year period, and Islamabad, where 55 cases were reported during the same time.

ALSO READ: Saudi Minister, Pakistan Army chief discuss regional issues, Afghanistan
Previous Story

‘Bloody Mary’ first look poster out

Next Story

Best books to read in February

Latest from -Top News

‘Kill and Dump’ Haunts Balochistan Again

The latest killings have reignited accusations of extrajudicial executions and the use of counterterrorism laws to cover up custodial deaths in Balochistan….reports Asian Lite News Concerns have deepened across Balochistan following the

‘ASEAN Expands, But Keeps Its Soul’

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan urged ASEAN to uphold its unity and strategic resolve amid intensifying geopolitical tensions and mounting external pressures…reports Asian Lite News Consensus and inclusivity will remain the cornerstones

Bangladesh bends to beat Trump’s blow

Dhaka seeks compromise as Trump’s 35% tariff looms large over key exports; Washington urges worker protections, factory relocation to US…reports Asian Lite News Bangladesh has opened the second round of critical trade

China seethes as US lands F-35s in PH

As US F-35 jets land in the Philippines for the first time, Manila cements its frontline role in Washington’s power play against rising China….reports Asian Lite News The Philippines is rapidly cementing
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Pak finance minister thanks ADB for $500m climate loan

The finance minister hoped for an early completion of the

Pakistan Rights Body Speaks Out Against Uprooting Baloch Camp

The HRCP’s statement comes as the National Press Club (NPC)