KARACHI — A madrasa student and his friend killed a man who was accused of making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) inside a court compound in a remote eastern town, police said yesterday.

The suspect accused of blasphemy, Abdul Sattar Gopang, was set upon by two attackers as he was leaving a court in the town of Muzzafargarh, 35 km west of Multan on Friday. He was stabbed in the chest 15 times.

Police described the attackers as “religious fanatics.” The two were arrested on murder charges, policemen Rai Tahir said. Two policemen were wounded while trying to arrest the attackers.

“They have no regrets, they’re smiling,” Tahir said.

“They say they decided to kill Gopang at the first opportunity, that it was their duty.”

Gopang, a contractor, was arrested on March 13 after a religious leader informed police that he had insulted the Prophet during a quarrel with some villagers over a minor dispute, he said.

Sources said that following Friday’s attack, authorities had decided to hold all future trials against those facing charges under blasphemy laws inside prisons.

In Pakistan insulting Islam, the Holy Qur’an or the Prophet is considered blasphemous and can be punished by death.

While death sentences have not been carried out, there are occasionally instances of enraged mobs attacking and killing people accused of blasphemy, including desecration of the holy book.