Thursday, December 19, 2002
Pakistani gets life behind bars for declaring himself Prophet
Press Trust of India Multan, December 19
A Pakistani man was sentenced to life in prison for declaring himself God's prophet, judicial officials said on Thursday.
Ehsan Azmat was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 100,000 when he was sentenced on Wednesday by judge Chaudhury Zafar Iqbal Naeem in the central city of Faisalabad.
Blasphemy can carry death penalty in Pakistan.
Azmat was convicted of telling hundreds of people last year in his village of Jaranwala that he was a Prophet. Muslims believe Mohammad was God's final prophet.
Two other people are wanted by authorities for supporting Azmat's faith in himself.
Amnesty International and other human rights groups have long denounced Pakistan's 1985 blasphemy code, saying the charges are often trumped up to settle personal, non-religious disputes.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in April 2000 proposed charges to reduce the possibility of abuse in blasphemy cases. But the amendment was withdrawn a month later under pressure from the country's religious scholars.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2002. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without prior permission To send your feedback, via web click here or email feedback at hindustantimes.com