March 31 – April 6, 2014

March 31: Ahmedi man held for descrating Quran in Hyderabad

An Ahmedi man was arrested for allegedly desecrating the Quran in Tando Allahyar. A 12 year old boy, who was reported to have had an altercation with the accused Tahir Ahmed’s son and wife, claimed that a copy of the Quran he was carrying was desecrated by Ahmed. In response, a violent mob showed up at Ahmed’s residence and destroyed a room reserved for worship while the family took refuge upstairs. Eventually, the police arrived to arrest Ahmed as rioters pelted stones at him. There were further reports of rioting and disruptions through the night. Dawn

March 31: Anti-polio worker gunned down in Bannu

Yet another anti-polio vaccine worker was killed in Pakistan after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a woman who had been part of the vaccinations team. The attack took place in the city’s Cantt district. Pakistan Today

April 4: Christian couple sentenced to death

A sessions court in Toba Tak Singh announced the death sentence for a Christian couple, Shafaqat Emmanuel and his wife Shagufta Kauser, after they were accused of sending blasphemous text messages in July last year. The court delivered the verdict despite the prosecution providing evidence that the SIM used to send the messages was not registered under the couples’ names. It was also pointed out that neither of the two had the education or qualifications required to write the English-language text messages they were alleged to have sent.  Daily Times