Pak cleric gets death for burning Christian couple

Lahore: A cleric was among five persons who were today handed down death penalty by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan for burning alive a Christian couple after accusing them of committing blasphemy here in 2014. Lahore anti-terrorism court Judge Chaudhry Muhammad Azam delivered the verdict after the prosecution presented all witnesses. He gave death sentence to five suspects including a cleric and also imposed a fine of Rs 200,000 on each for lynching the couple. Eight other suspects were sentenced to two years in prison. According to the charge-sheet, the suspects gathered a mob by making announcements from mosques that a young Christian couple - Shahzad and Shama - committed blasphemy in Kot Radha Kishan area of Kasur district, some 50 kms from here, in November 2014. PTI