pjmedia.com By Uzay Bulut
A Pakistani Christian could face the death penalty due to blasphemy allegations.Trial proceedings were completed for Ishtiaq Saleem, who was accused of downloading blasphemous material on social media, Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF) said in a news release on 18 March. Saleem will receive a verdict after court proceedings conclude for his alleged accomplice, Muhammad Umair, ADF said.
Saleem, a 34-year-old sanitation worker, denied the charges. He has been imprisoned for three years during court proceedings and has been repeatedly denied bail, ADF said. The organization alleged his charges were fabricated and false.
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,
In November 2022, authorities in Islamabad arrested Saleem after he was accused of sharing content deemed blasphemous on social media. Authorities charged Saleem with “intending to outrage religious feelings,” “desecrating the Qur’an,” and “insulting the Prophet Muhammad,” “using derogatory remarks in respect of holy personages,” and “inciting interfaith hatred.”
Saleem’s father told Morning Star News that his son inadvertently downloaded sacrilegious images that someone else had shared in a social media group. Saleem did not even realize the images were on his phone when he was arrested, added his father.
Saleem’s charges were fabricated by the Blasphemy Business Group, according to ADF. The group has repeatedly invented charges in order to blackmail and entrap people, according to a report from Pakistan’s National Commission on Human Rights.
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