RAWALPINDI, April 15: The Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, on Monday acquitted an accused of blasphemy, who was awarded death sentence by a lower court.

Jhelum Additional Session Judge had sentenced Pir Zahoor of Sohawa to death in a case registered under Section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Pir Zahoor denied the charge and stated that the law was being misused by a group of religious fanatics of the area.

The division bench of the Lahore High Court comprising Justice Raja Sabir and Justice M. Naeemullah Khan Sherwani accepted the appeal and ordered acquittal of the accused.

Sardar Ishaq, counsel for the accused Pir Zahoor, stated it was alleged that his client had published a pamphlet in which he committed blasphemy by tampering with the Kalma-i-Tayyaba.

The counsel said no copy of the pamphlet was recovered from the possession of his client and the prosecution could not even produce addresses of the printers and publishers of the pamphlet.