World | Pakistan
Pakistani man held for tearing Bible in church
Factory employee in Pakistan booked under blasphemy law for allegedly tearing a copy of the Bible
- By Mohsin Ali, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 April 10, 2011
Islamabad: A Pakistani has been booked under the blasphemy law by the police in the eastern city of Lahore for allegedly tearing a copy of the Bible in a church, according to newspaper reports on Saturday.
The accused, Mohammad Akhtar, a factory employee, allegedly committed the offence while in a Catholic church located on Lawrence Road in Lahore.
He was caught by security guards and handed to police.
Retribution
The reports quoted a senior police officer as saying the man told the police he tore the Bible in reaction to the burning of a copy of the Quran by American pastor Terry Jones at his church in Florida last month.
Demonstrations were held all over Pakistan in protest at the desecration of the Quran by the American pastor and the national parliament and provincial assemblies passed resolutions demanding action against him.
Blasphemy carries a sentence of death in Pakistan, but no one has ever been executed under it, although there have been a number of people imprisoned under the law over the years, since its introduction decades ago.
Confession
Currently, a police security guard is on trial after confessing to shooting provincial governor, Salman Taseer, in Islamabad in January because of his criticism of the blasphemy law.
Last month Pakistani minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti was shot dead in Islamabad by unknown attackers for allegedly having advocated changes in the blasphemy law to prevent its misuse by religious extremists.
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