2 arrested in Pakistan's Punjab province for committing blasphemy on social media

Lahore, May 17

Two men have been arrested from Pakistan’s Punjab province for allegedly committing blasphemy on social media, the punishment of which is either life imprisonment or death penalty.

Lahore Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday arrested Muhammad Usama Shafiq and Maisam Abbas on a complaint that they had allegedly insulted the Prophet and defiled the holy Quran on Facebook and WhatsApp groups.

An FIA official told PTI on Tuesday that both suspects had uploaded objectionable videos along with Quranic verses on Facebook. They also shared such material on a WhatsApp group.

“Under the law, the suspects committed blasphemy in the honour of the Prophet and Allah and defiled the Quran,” the official said, adding that the two have been booked under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.

Both the suspects were produced before a magistrate who sent them to jail for judicial remand. Usama is from Lahore and Maisam from Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab and they were Facebook friends, the official said.

The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1986 added Section 295C to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to provide death penalty or life imprisonment to person defiling the name of the Prophet.