Pakistan: Teenager cuts off own hand after blasphemy mistake

Parents and neighbours celebrated after a 15-year-old Pakistani boy cut off his hand believing he had committed blasphemy, according to local police. The incident occurred in a village, 125 kilometres from the city of Lahore in Pakistan.

The boy, identified as Mohammad Anwar, was amongst a congregation gathering at a village mosque, where an Imam (cleric) reportedly told the audience that those who love the Prophet Mohammed say their prayers regularly. He then asked the crowd if any of them had stopped praying.

The boy mistakenly raised his hand, not having heard exactly what the Imam had asked leading to the crowd accusing him of blasphemy. Anwar next went to his house and cut off the hand he had raised in front of the Imam. He later presented the hand to the Imam, according to local police chief Nausher Ahmed.

No police complaint has been filed and there will be no legal investigation into the incident. Ahmed told AFP News that he has seen a video, where the boy is being cheered on by villagers while his parents stood proud of their son's act.

Earlier police arrested Imam Khalid Chishti for reportedly planting burnt pages of the Koran in a shopping bag carried by a Christian girl. The mentally challenged 14-year-old girl, identified as Rimsha, was later accused of blasphemy. Blasphemy is punishable by a life term in prison or death in Pakistan.

A former pop singer in the country, Junaid Jamshed, was also accused of blasphemy when a video of him circulated on social media, where he was allegedly seen passing derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohammed's youngest wife, Ayesha. The former singer later issued a public apology. The video lead to an uproar with several people urging the former singer to be arrested and tried for violating the religious laws of the country.