A Pakistani policeman killed, with a butcher's knife, a man acquitted several years ago by a court on blasphemy charges, police said on Saturday.
Waqas Ahmed was tried in 2016 for blasphemy after a Facebook post, but the court acquitted him.
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The policeman, Abdul Qadir, described as never having accepted this verdict, attacked him Friday evening, armed with a butcher's leaf, in the town of Rahim Yar Khan, in the province of Punjab, in the east of the Pakistan. This policeman "had been
planning to attack him since 2016, accusing him of disrespecting Prophet Mohammed,
" police official Rana Muhammad Ashraf told AFP.
Police spokesman Ahmed Nawaz confirmed the fatal assault, adding that the victim's brother was injured.
"
The police officer voluntarily surrendered to the police,
" he added.
The victim and her alleged killer were both from the same tribe and village, according to police investigating whether there were any personal differences between them.
Read also: In Pakistan, the legislation on blasphemy has continued to tighten
The question of blasphemy is particularly sensitive in Pakistan, where it transcends party lines. Pakistani law provides for the death penalty for anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or the Prophet. In Pakistan, even unproven allegations of offending Islam can lead to assassinations and lynchings. The Pakistani law on blasphemy is accused by its opponents of being used to settle personal conflicts or against religious minorities, but it is defended tooth and nail by the Islamists.