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       SAHIWAL: A village prayer leader was booked on charges of blasphemy, hate speech and incitement of sectarianism in his Friday sermon at Chak 8/14-L near Kasowal, Chichawatni, and posting it on local social media platforms.

       Kasowal police booked the prayer leader of Jamia Usmania under PPC 295-A (malicious insult of a religious group), PPC 298 (derogatory remarks against the family, wives and companions of the Holy Prophet), and Section 6 of The Punjab Sound Systems (Regulations) Act-2015, based on a complaint of Sub-Inspector Muhammad Mushtaq.

       Reports indicate that the prayer leader while delivering a Friday sermon at village Jamia Usmania mosque, used derogatory language against a particular sect. His speech full of hate material and sectarian content was later uploaded on local social media platforms. The video went viral, causing significant unrest among the affected sect.

       Kasowal SHO Zeeshan Bashir said police became aware of the video through their own ‘sources’ and they immediately moved to the village and controlled the situation.

       District Police Officer Rana Tahir informed Dawn the suspect managed to escape. However, he added, police took swift action to calm the situation in the village by engaging the village elders and religious leaders.

       Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025