ISLAMABAD: A court in Rawalpindi has sentenced to death a 26-year-old woman for blasphemy.

According to media reports, the 26-year-old woman, a resident of Islamabad, was accused of spreading blasphemous messages through WhatsApp.

She also sent a "blasphemous message" to the complainant on his WhatsApp number, according to the detailed verdict issued by a cyber crime court in Rawalpindi.

According to the detailed verdict, the woman told the court that she got in touch with the complainant after he joined her PUBG group and asked her to be "friendly" with him "because we were Pakistani" but she refused.

When a friend urged her to change her stance, she instead forwarded the material to him, it said.

The woman, according to the verdict, told the court that other members of the PUBG group used to make fun of the complainant. The woman further said she believes the complainant intentionally dragged her into religious discussion so he can collect [evidence] and take "revenge".

Blasphemy charges are often made to settle scores.

In September last year a sessions court in Lahore had sentenced a Muslim woman to death on blasphemy charge under section 295C of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The woman, an owner and principal of a private school, was accused of distributing photocopies of her writings wherein she denied the finality of prophethood and claimed herself as a prophet.

The most famous case relating to blasphemy has been of Christian woman Asia Bibi, who was convicted of verbally insulting Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) by a Sheikhapura court in 2010. The decision was upheld by the Lahore High Court but eventually acquitted by Pakistan's supreme court in 2018. She was subsequently flown out of the country. The legal ruling led to large and violent protests by thousands of followers of Tehreek e Labbaik Pakistan.

Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, who famously called for Aassia's release and called for review of the blasphemy law, used was killed by his gunman in 2011 for those views.

In December last year, a Sri Lankan factory manager working in Pakistan was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob after being accused of blasphemy.