Muslim extremists sentenced to death for burning pregnant Christian alive
MUSLIM extremists have been sentenced to death for killing a Christian man and his pregnant wife by burning them alive.
Muslim extremists burned Shahzad Masih and his wife Shama Bibi alive
An anti-terror court in Pakistan handed down the punishment to five men for the murder of Shahzad Masih, 26, and his wife Shama Bibi, 24, who was five months pregnant.
The couple were beaten to near death by a mob of 600 people in a village 37 miles south of Lahore in 2014 before being thrown into a kiln by a vile gang which included the local imam.
The murders sparked national outrage and the case was moved to the Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore.
The murderers will now be killed after burning the Christian couple alive in a kiln
Killers Imam Hafiz Ishtiaq, Mehdi Khan, Riaz Kambo, Irfan Shakoor and Muhammad Hanif were fined £1,600 each and sentenced to death by Judge Chaudhry Muhammad Azam for inciting violence and throwing the couple into the kiln.
Another eight men – Muhammad Hussain, Noorul Hasan, Muhammad Arsalan, Muhammad Haris, Muhammad Muneer, Muhammad Ramazan, Irfan and Hafiz Shahid – were jailed for two years and fined.
Christians collect 'holy water' from Jesus statue in India
More than 50 people were originally charged under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act for “the use or threat of action … to coerce and intimidate or overawe the Government or the public … or create a sense of fear or insecurity in society”.
The couple were killed after being accused of blasphemy for burning pages of the Koran.
Shahzad’s sister-in-law Parveen Bibi told World Watch Monitor that Shahzad’s late father Nazar “used to do black magic” with amulets that may have contained verses from the Koran.
Pakistani Christians condemned the brutal killing
The case sparked national outrage in Pakistan
The case was moved to the Anti-Terror Court as a result of public outrage
He died a week before the gruesome murder and Shama was reportedly going through his belongings after setting alight to the papers.
Mrs Bibi said when Shama threw the ashes into the rubbish she did not mean to disrespect Islam, as she was illiterate and had no idea what the amulets contained.
But passers-by recognised the text and a mob soon surrounded the property.
The couple's family lay flowers near the kiln
An armed policeman stands guard as investigators visit the scene
A post-mortem report found the couple were still alive when they were thrown into the kiln.
Riaz Anjum, from the Voice Society, which represented Shama’s father, Mukhtar Masih, said: “Although several of the suspects were acquitted after statements by Shahzad’s brothers, still five have received the punishment of death, which is an extraordinary step by the court.”
A date is yet to be decided for the five men’s execution but a source said it could be years before the death sentence is carried out, if at all.
The couple were thrown into the kiln at the brick factory where they worked in Kot Radha Kishan
The British Pakistani Christian Association is now in talks with Shama’s father to move him to a safe house.
He is guardian to his daughter’s surviving three children and the family has received death threats and abuse in the wake of the court case.