Social Media user given death sentence on blasphemy charges

A social media user from Lahore has been given a death sentence today by the Anti-Terrorism Court for sharing blasphemous content about Islam on Facebook, Dawn reported. This is the first instance of such level of harsh punishment related to cybercrime so far in Pakistan.

The 30-year-old accused was arrested by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the blasphemy charges were leveled against him at CTD Multan police station.

The man has been accused of sharing derogatory remarks and content about wives of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Facebook.

The government of Pakistan has recently started taking strict action against blasphemous content shared on the social media platforms. Pakistan Telecommunication Agency announced that it has received 3000 complaints related to blasphemous content. Whereas, Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar, announced that over 150 Facebook pages have been blocked due to derogatory and blasphemous content about Islam.

In efforts to curb the spread of online blasphemous content, Chaudhry Nisar also threatened to block Facebook in the country. Which is why a Facebook delegate is also expected to visit Pakistan in order to reach a settlement with the Government with regards to blasphemy.