LAHORE: The Punjab government favours capital punishment for blasphemy convicts but wants a check on bogus allegations by awarding the same sentence to the accuser proven false after a thorough investigation.

Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told the media at a meeting of the Punjab Assembly’s Press Gallery Committee here on Thursday that false accusers deserved the same sentence that was given to the convicts because playing with the lives of the innocent could and should not be allowed.

He said Governor Salmaan Taseer made an abortive attempt to start a new controversy in the province by visiting Aasia, a blasphemy convict, in a Sheikhupura prison and speaking against the law.

But the plan failed like the plot to murder the Lahore High Court chief justice, he said, adding the governor was now facing wrath of religious leaders for his ‘irresponsible’ comments on the blasphemy law.

The law minister played down WikiLeaks disclosures and described them as “just observations of US diplomats and high-level officials that may and may not be correct”.

Opposing levy of reformed general sales tax at a time when people are already facing multiple hardships, he denied PPP claim that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif gave his consent for the new tax at a recent meeting of the Council of Common Interests.