If he doesn't pay the fine will they execute him harder?

Tourism will flourish with every such judgement

Very sad.

A good lawyer could get this man off simply by demanding the offended divinity appear in court to confirm whether She or He was offended, or merely amused. Assumptions are not legal arguments! Gordon D. Walker Canada

Asia Bibi‘s long and highly publicized ordeal is finally over – she has been allowed to leave Pakistan. Bibi, a Christian, was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death. However, she was acquitted by the Supreme court in October last year after the prosecution failed to submit valid evidence against her. There are still dozens of people accused of blasphemy languishing behind bars in until their cases can be heard. The lower courts do not like to go against public sentiment and in most cases, despite the evidence against them being weak, the accused are given death sentences. The case of Professor Junaid Hafeez is a classic example. Hafeez, a lecturer at a government university in Punjab, was charged with blasphemy because of a Facebook post he made in 2013, and since then his case has been pending in the lower courts and the judge presiding over the case has been replaced six times. His lawyer, Rashid Rehman, was murdered in broad daylight after he refused to abandon the case.

omg, not this story again. does this mean we have to read about this guy for the next few months too?

session courts will always announce the death sentence, will not hear case properly because they are threatened by the lobby to ensure a verdict. Leave the right decisions to superior court. And CJ is saying that the only thing working are courts?

This is ridiculous

A great advertisement for the tourist industry

Why bother the nation with such trivial matters when they’re busy with such critical issues like Pakistan cricket team’s world cup performance?

Unusual and cruel punishment. A fine should have been enough if even that.

Exactly what was the weight of testimony? Was he provided a solid defense attorney on state expenses? Since it is capital punishment issues, had all the precautions taken? Were the witnesses credible? Was the whole process fair and equitable? Did he had any defense like mental sickness, physical disabilities including extreme poverty. Were corroborating material evidence provided and the quality of witnesses and their credibility properly weighed. This law is always misued and misapplied against minorities and vulnerable sectors of the society. Since I am an attorney in US, this would be my take.

Was he given the chance to repent or he insisted on his words

complete silence.

Disgusting. Let the man talk his opinion.

What is the worst that they can do if the accused didnt pay the fine? Sentence him to death ??!! The fine seems excessive.

What was the evidenced?

This started in 2016 and results came out mid 2019. It means that we will have to wait till middle of 2022 till the PM will be behind bars for his blasphemous view on national tv with millions of witnesses.

When will this charade end?

Good bye Pakistan welcome Stone Age

@perv, The accused eventually has to die. Should he/she be interested to pay the fine, Or the law says the accused's relatives pay the fine after execution.

@Shazad, Yes! you will see!