KARACHI, Pakistan — A Christian serving a life sentence in Karachi Central Jail on accusations that he had sent text messages blaspheming the prophet of Islam died March 15 amid suspicions that he was murdered.
Qamar David’s life had been threatened since he and a Muslim, Munawar Ahmad, were accused of sending derogatory text messages about Muhammad in June 2006, said David’s former lawyer, Pervaiz Chaudhry.
On Feb. 25, 2010, David had received a sentence of life in prison, which in Pakistan is 25 years, and was fined $1,170. Chaudhry, who said he was David’s counsel until Islamic threats against his life forced him to stop in July 2010, said the Christian had expressed fears for his life several times during the trial.
“David did not die of a heart attack as the jail officials are claiming,” Chaudhry said. “He was being threatened ever since the trial began, and he had also submitted a written application with the jail authorities for provision of security, but no step was taken in this regard.”
Conflicting versions of his death by jail officials also raised doubts. A jail warden said David was reported crying for help from his cell March 15 in the early hours of the morning. He said David, who was breathing at the time, was transported to the Civil Hospital Karachi, but that doctors there pronounced him dead on arrival. He also said, however, that he had heard from colleagues that David was found dead inside his cell and that his body had been sent to the hospital for post-mortem, not for treatment.
Karachi Central Prison Deputy Superintendent Raja Mumtaz insisted that David was alive when he reached the hospital.
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