Pakistani Court Upholds Life Imprisonment in Quran Sacrilege Case
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday upheld the life imprisonment sentence awarded to the man convicted of burning pages of the Holy Quran, spilling a dog’s blood in a graveyard and engaging in alleged black magic practices in Shahpur, dismissing his appeal against the conviction.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Babar Sattar heard the appeal filed by convict Usman. The detailed 49-page judgment was authored by Justice Sahibzada Asadullah.
According to the case record, on May 7, 2021, Abdur Rahim and others allegedly noticed two men engaged in suspicious activities in the jurisdiction of Shahpur Police Station. The suspects were allegedly burning pages of the Holy Quran and pouring drops of a dog’s blood onto the pages.
The complainants apprehended the two men, identified as Yousaf and Usman, and handed them over to the police, who subsequently registered a criminal case. During the investigation, the police recovered partially burned pages, a knife, other evidence, and an injured dog from the scene. Some of the recovered pages reportedly contained bloodstains.
Following trial proceedings, both accused were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment along with other penalties. After hearing arguments in the appeal, the court ruled that the prosecution had established its case beyond a reasonable doubt and that the trial court had correctly appreciated the evidence.
The judgment said that Islam strictly prohibited practices involving sorcery, superstition, or seeking assistance from alleged supernatural or evil forces. While visiting graveyards is permissible in Islam, the court noted that engaging in activities associated with black magic or superstition at such places was both forbidden and unlawful.
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The court referred to various Quranic verses and Islamic teachings concerning witchcraft, noting that Islamic jurisprudence treated such practices as grave sins. The judgment stated that activities of this nature undermined religious beliefs and offended societal, moral and cultural values. The bench observed that such conduct often stemmed from ignorance, misguidance and weak faith, despite clear Islamic teachings on the matter. It added that the social consequences of such practices can be harmful and far-reaching.
The court also noted that only Usman had challenged the conviction before the high court, while the co-convict had accepted the trial court’s verdict. Finding no legal or factual grounds to interfere with the conviction, the high court dismissed the appeal and upheld the life sentence awarded by the trial court.
Source: thenews.pk
