#Iftekharul Bashar

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Pakistan inherited the blasphemy law from the British in the 19th Century. In the 1980s, Islamabad introduced stiffer penalties, including the death sentence for insulting Islam. Around 96% of Pakistan's population is Muslim. Other countries, including Iran, Brunei, and Mauritania also impose capital punishment for insulting religion. Religion-fuelled violence in Pakistan has risen since the country made blasphemy punishable by death, as it "bolsters violent behaviour," Iftekharul Bashar, a researcher at the think-tank RSIS who focuses on political and religious violence in South Asia, said. "The Pakistani society has experienced increased fragmentation, driven by widening economic disparities, leading to an upsurge in violence directed towards minority religious groups," Mr Bashar said. "The emergence of extremist and vigilante factions within Pakistan, some of which exhibit significant financial backing, also contributed to this trouble trend."

‘Pakistan: More than 100 arrested after churches burned’, BBC