14 DAY TRIAL // A disturbing development in the case of the Bollywood actress Veena Malik, as it's been announced that she has been sentenced to no fewer than 26 years in jail in her native Pakistan for having played a part in a show that depicted a wedding scene loosely based on the marriage of the prophet Muhammad's daughter.
A local court has issued to verdict and has ordered Malik and her husband, who is also accused in the case, to turn in their passports and also pay 3 million rupees (€10,000). The 26-year-long sentence comes after the actress appeared in a scene that loosely resembled the wedding of the prophet's daughter, which enraged the Muslim population.
Malik has been sentenced along with her husband, who produced the show
The Guardian reports that Malik's husband, a producer on the show, was also given 26 years in prison for allowing the show to air on Geo TV in May. Soon after the show, people began filing blasphemy cases against the actor, the producer and even the network's owner.
The scene showed Malik reenacting her own wedding to local businessman Asad Bashir Khan. Audiences were appalled when a religious song began playing in the background and the entire scene became familiar to them as similar to the wedding scene of Muhammad's daughter.
The host of the show, Malik, her husband and even the network issued apologies to the public for their offense, but it did little to nothing to quell the anger of the public who then resorted to legal action against them. Malik and her husband later fled the country as an investigation began.
Earlier this week, a judge delivered the verdict saying that “The malicious acts of the proclaimed offenders ignited the sentiments of all the Muslims of the country and hurt the feelings, which cannot be taken lightly and there is need to strictly curb such tendency,” when he found the defendants guilty as charged.
The actress denies the accusations and refutes the verdict calling it “unfair”
Malik is quoted as saying that she plans to return to Pakistan and fight the court decision as she has doubts about its legitimacy. Because the verdict was given in Gilgit, which is controlled by Pakistan and the Kashmir region claimed by India, some of the verdicts given by local courts do not apply in Pakistan.
The actress spoke against what she thought was a flawed decision and said that “Twenty-six years is a lifetime. But I have faith in higher courts in Pakistan. When the final verdict comes, it will do justice to me. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
Below is a video of the scene that started the entire scandal.
