Pakistan jails Wahhabi preacher for anti-Shia hate speech
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has handed down a six-month jail term to a Wahhabi pro-Saudi preacher for delivering speeches against Shia Muslims.
Mufti Tanveer Alam Farooqi, the leader of an extremist group, was sentenced by the court on Monday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad.
Judicial sources said Judge Asif Majeed Awan found him guilty of "acts intended or likely to stir up sectarian hatred" in the violence-wracked country.
"He was awarded a six-month jail sentence and a 50,000-rupee (500-dollar) fine," media outlets quoted an unnamed senior security official as saying.
He was put on trial on charges of fueling hatred against Shia Muslims and possessing illegal weapons.
Some activists have expressed their discontent with the lenient ruling, saying those found in possession of illegal weapons must be meted out harsher punishments.
Farooqi is linked with the notorious outlawed terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) that has been involved in several attacks on Shia Muslim in recent years across Pakistan.
In late July, Malik Ishaq, the notorious leader of the LeJ group, along with 13 other militants, were killed in a shootout with police in the eastern province of Punjab.
The terrorist group which is responsible for frequent and lethal attacks against Shia Muslims is funded by Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-funded group has also been involved in the 1990s attack on the Iranian Cultural Center in Multan, the assassination of Iranian diplomat Sadiq Ganji in Lahore, and the killing of Iranian Air Force cadets visiting Pakistan.
Rights groups say the Islamabad government must take decisive actions against forces involved in the targeted killings of Shia Muslims. The Shias also accuse Islamabad of failing to provide proper security for the Muslim community.
Shia Muslims make up about a third of Pakistan's population of over 180 million.
Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks over the past decades.
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