Muslim cleric sentenced to death in Pak for blasphemy

January 31, 2012 16:57

A cleric accused of blasphemy has been sentenced to death and given a 10-year prison term in Pakistan's Punjab province, the latest in a string of convictions under a controversial law.

Soofi Mohammad Ishaq of Talagang town had been facing a charge of blasphemy since 2009. An additional sessions judge of Jhelum district sentenced Ishaq to death and 10 years' imprisonment yesterday. He was also fined Rs 2 lakh.

Soofi Mohammad Ishaq was settled in the US, where he worked as a cleric. When he visited Talagang in 2009, he was given a warm welcome by hundreds of his disciples, some of whom kissed his feet. Some people objected to the act of "bowing down before Ishaq" and accused his followers of branding him a prophet.

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