Reward offered in blasphemy case
A hardline Pakistani Islamic cleric has offered a reward to anyone who kills a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy against Islam.
Maulana Yousef Qureshi told a rally in the north-western town of Peshawar that his mosque would give 6,000 US dollars (£3,800) to the person who kills Asia Bibi.
Bibi, who is in jail, was sentenced on November 8 to hang for insulting the Prophet Mohammed. She and her family say the charge is baseless.
Her case has attracted international attention and a personal appeal from Pope Benedict XVI for her freedom, while government officials have talked about the possibility of a presidential pardon.
But Islamist groups have protested against any move to show leniency towards her.
