ISLAMABAD: Three men were sentenced to death for posting blasphemous content on social media by an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Friday.

The case has been pending in the Islamabad ATC for the last four years.

Blasphemy is a sensitive topic in Pakistan. Rights advocates have long been demanding a reform of the controversial blasphemy laws, which were introduced by military dictator General Ziaul Haq in the 1980s.

The trial in this case was completed last year. The court had  reserved its verdict on December 15, 2020.

Anti-terrorism court judge Raja Jawad Abbas heard the case on Friday.

The court sentenced the three accused, Abdul Waheed, Rana Noman Rafaqat and Nasir Ahmed, to death.

Pakistan sentenced a man to death  over sharing blasphemous content about Islam on social media for the first time in 2017.