70-year-old man shot in Pakistani prison

A 70-year-old man sentenced to death for blasphemy was shot by a police constable within the premises of Rawalpindi's Central Jail Thursday.

Mohammad Asghar, a British citizen whose defence had stated that he had mental health problems, was convicted and sentenced in January for writing letters claiming to be a prophet, Dawn online reported.

Asghar was shot by Constable Yousuf following which the injured inmate was shifted to the district headquarter hospital, jail authorities said.

The prison authorities will begin legal proceedings against the constable.

Asghar was convicted and sentenced to death after the court rejected defence claims that he was suffering from mental health problems.

However, a statement from the British charity Reprieve, which has been helping Asghar's family, had said that the 70-year-old was detained by authorities in Scotland in 2010 because of mental problems and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population is Muslim and insulting the Holy Prophet can attract the death penalty.

Asghar's family has said that the allegations against him stem from a property dispute with one of his tenants.