A Christian convict for blasphemy found dead in Karachi Jail

Karachi, Pakistan: March 15, 2011, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Qamar David, a Christian man convicted for alleged blasphemy was found dead in Karachi jail on March 15th, 2011 raising doubts that he might have fallen prey to active hate campaign going on in the country on this issue by extremist groups.

Qamar David was arrested on May 24th, 2006 on flimsy charges. He was given life imprisonment and fine Rupees 101, 000 on February 25, 2010 after he was accused of being in possession of a SIM phone used for sending derogatory messages offering insult to Holy Prophet. He was charged under Sections 295 A and 925 C of the Pakistan Penal Code however, the Muslim co-accused was acquitted for lack of evidence.

A native of Lahore Qamar was in Karachi for business in 2006. The jail authorities said he died due to a heart attack. His family would be reaching Karachi to claim his body on March 16th. The family intends to bring the body to Lahore and bury him there, which might take a couple of days. He was 55 years age and father of four boys.