Daily Times

MULTAN: A district and sessions court on Saturday sentenced Junaid Hafeez – a former university lecturer accused of blasphemy – to death.

Hafeez was a visit lecturer at Bahauddin Zakariya University’s English Literature Department. He was booked for blasphemy and arrested on March 13, 2013. The court began hearing his case in 2014.

Additional Sessions Judge Kashif Qayyum convicted him of blasphemy on Saturday. He sentenced him to death and a fine of Rs0.5 million under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. He also sentenced him to life imprisonment under Section 295-B, and 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000 under Section 295-A.

According to Amnesty International, Hafeez, who was also in the process of getting a graduate degree in English Literature, was charged with blasphemy over Facebook uploads.

Additional Sessions Judge Kashif Qayyum sentenced Hafeez to death and a fine of Rs0.5 million under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC); in case of default he will undergo further imprisonment of six months.

He was also sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 295-B, and 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000 under Section 295-A of the PPC.

Hafeez was moved to solitary confinement after he was attacked by fellow inmates in Central Jail Multan.

His first lawyer, Rashid Rehman, was brutally murdered in his chamber at District Court Multan after he agreed to take up Hafeez’s case.

His second lawyer withdrew from the case and a third lawyer was threatened at the hearing.

The case has been languishing due to the transfer of various judges, the absence of prosecution witnesses and adequate legal counsel for defence because of the reprisal from extremist religious groups.