CHINIOT: The Lalian additional and district sessions judge has awarded three-year imprisonment to a convict belonging to the Ahmadi community under section 298-C and life imprisonment under section 295-B. Both convictions will run concurrently.

He was handed over to the jail authorities to serve the sentence. However, he was acquitted in another case under sections 7, 9 of the Punjab Holy Quran Printing and Recording Act 2011.

The FIR was registered by Chenabnagar police station on Dec 12, 2022, under sections 295-B, 298-C and section 9 of the Punjab Holy Quran Printing and Recording Act 2011 and Section 8 and 11 of the Anti Terrorism Act 1997 on the application of a religious activist

The complainant claimed that he had been trying to stop the printing and publication of Holy Quran with altered translation for the last four years.

He had also filed a plea (214966/18) in the Lahore High Court which ordered all institutions to take action against the accused for publishing such copies of the holy book on March 5, 2019.

On March 07, 2019, the Jamaat Ahmadiyya organised an event at Nusrat Jehan Girls College ground in which the alterated versions of holy book were distributed among 62 students by the accused (now convict).

The Chenabnagar police registered the case and started investigation. During course of investigation, the accused was proven guilty.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2025