Source:
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/06/12/525072/Pakistan-Shia-Muslims-Taimoor-Raza-Wahhabi-Saudis
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has handed down death sentence to a Shia Muslim activist who allegedly committed blasphemy by posting
anti-Wahhabi and Saudi contents on social media.
The court in Punjab province's Bahawalpur district announced the sentence for Taimoor Raza after holding him guilty of posting derogatory content on social networking website Facebook.
Shafiq Qureshi, public prosecutor in Bahawalpur, confirmed Raza was convicted for
allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Deobandi sect, which is akin to the Wahhabi tradition and Takfirism practiced in Saudi Arabia.
"An anti terrorism court of Bahawalpur has awarded him the death sentence," Qureshi said, adding, “It is the first ever death sentence in a case that involves social media."
"The trial was conducted in Bahawalpur jail in tight security," Qureshi noted.
Raza, who belongs to the Shia Muslim community, had been
accused of spreading of blasphemous contents including "hate speech."
The 30- year-old
activist was
detained after playing the material on his phone on a bus stop in the region, where a counter-terrorism officer arrested him and confiscated his phone.
A case was then registered against him on behalf of the State.
Takfirism is largely influenced by Wahhabism, the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia and freely preached by Saudi clerics. The extremist ideology has made inroads into Pakistan over the past decades.
The sentence is the harshest among cyber-crime related sentences handed down so far in the country.
The conviction of the Shia Muslim activist follows a high-profile crackdown against blasphemy on social media by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Some political activists have blamed elements within the government for colluding with some Wahhabi royals from Arab monarchies over the issue.
Misuse of the blasphemy law in Pakistan
The developments come at a time when the Islamabad government is trying to tackle the growing militancy, political instability and extremism in the country.
Critics say Pakistan's blasphemy laws are largely misused, with hundreds of people languishing in jails under false charges. In most cases, even unproven allegations frequently stir mob violence and bloodshed.
The law has raised concerns among rights activists and some politicians who say it is often exploited by extremists or those who want to settle personal scores.
Supporters of extremist groups have murdered dozens of people over blasphemy allegations over the past few decades.
In April 2017, viral footage showing the lynching of a 23-year-old university student by sympathizers of Wahhabism and Takfiri groups in northwestern Pakistan sparked widespread public outrage.
Journalism student Mashal Khan, who had been accused of blasphemy, was beaten and shot to death at a university in the northwestern city of Mardan.
