On Thursday, a court in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s northernmost city, sentenced a Muslim lady to death for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy’ and insulting Prophet Muhammad and Islam on WhatsApp.
Aneeqa Ateeq, the inmate, was found guilty under the Asian country’s harsh blasphemy laws, which mandate the death penalty for insulting the Prophet.
Ateeq allegedly disseminated photographs that were deemed offensive to Prophet Muhammad and one of his wives, who is also regarded as a “holy personage” in the country and among Muslim devout.
Judge Adnan Mushtaq stated before passing sentence on Ateeq, “the blasphemous material which was shared/installed by the female accused on her status on WhatsApp messaging platform and the messages as well as caricatures which were sent to the complainant are totally unbearable and not tolerable for a Muslim.”
The 26-year-old Ateeq, who pleaded not guilty to the accusations, which were first filed in May 2020, said that her accuser, Hasnat Farooq, purposefully drew her into a theological conversation to frame her after she refused “to be friendly” with him.
