The Church of Scotland is calling on Pakistan to repeal its blasphemy law amid claims it is being widely abused.
The Government of Pakistan must overhaul the law which is being used to terrorise minority faith communities, according to Scotland's national church.
the Rt Rev John Chalmers, Moderator of the General Assembly, has expressed his shock at the continued attacks on Christians by people said to be using the blasphemy law as an excuse in a letter to the High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK, Syed Ibne Abbas.
He said: "The misuse of the blasphemy law is disproportionately amongst non-Muslim minority faith communities and we raise this issue with the High Commissioner because of the pleas of our partner church in Pakistan.
"The latest outrage was the murder of a Christian couple, Shehzad and his wife Shama in Kot Radha Kishan near Kasur.
"The couple had three young children and Shama was reportedly expecting their fourth child.
"Along with many others around the world we in the Church of Scotland were deeply saddened when the High Court in Lahore dismissed Asia Bibi's appeal against her conviction under the blasphemy law and upheld the death sentence."
Mr Chalmers continued: "The Church of Scotland urges the Government of Pakistan to release and pardon Asia Bibi and to ensure that she and her family are protected from those who would seek to take the law into their own hands."
Earlier this month Prime Minister David Cameron asked his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to ensure a Scottish man jailed for blasphemy is treated fairly and that his history of mental health is taken into account.
He raised the case of 70-year-old Muhammad Asghar, a Muslim from Edinburgh, who was arrested in 2010 and sentenced to death in January after a disgruntled tenant presented letters he had written saying he was a prophet.
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