On 29 July 1991 the Government of Pakistan decided to amend Section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code to make the death penalty mandatory for the offence of defiling the named of the Prophet Mohammad. The amendment has yet to be approved by Parliament. Amnesty International is concerned that under the amended legislation members of the Ahmadiyya community may face the death penalty as a mandatory punishment for exercising their religious beliefs. Their reference to the Prophet Mohammad is considered by orthodox Muslims to defile the name of the Prophet.
