Pakistan court sentences woman to life imprisonment for burning pages of Islam’s holy book

A Pakistani court sentenced a woman to life imprisonment after finding her guilty of burning pages of Islamic holy book, a prosecutor said on Friday (March 22).

According to Pakistan's blasphemy laws, individuals convicted of disrespecting religion or religious figures may facedeath penalty. Despite no executions being carried out for blasphemy so far, mere allegations can incite riots.

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Government prosecutor Mohazib Awais stated that Aasiya Bibi, a woman arrested in 2021, faced blasphemy charges following accusations from residents that she had burned pages of the Quran, leading to her arrest.
Awais said the judge announced the verdict Wednesday (March 20) in the eastern city of Lahore. He said Bibi, who has the right to appeal, had denied the charge during her trial.

It may be mentioned here, a Christian woman with the same name was acquitted of blasphemy in 2019 after she spent eight years on death row in Pakistan. Later, she moved to Canada to escape death threats from Islamic extremists upon her release.

Wednesday’s case involved a different woman.

Human rights organisations both within the country and abroad claim that accusations of blasphemy are frequently used as a form of personal vendetta against religious minoritiesand intimidation.

A different court in Gujranwala, Punjab province, found two teenagers guilty of insulting Prophet Muhammad earlier in March. One of them wasgiven death sentence wile the second was awardedlife in prison.

(With inputs from agencies)