It says the pilot programme will involve Muslim teachers and students at 61 government religious secondary schools and 228 government-aided religious secondary schools throughout the country.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan and though no one has ever been executed, numerous accused people have been lynched by outraged mobs.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan and though no one has ever been executed for it, numerous accused people have been lynched by outraged crowds.

Authorities say the killings may have been rooted in a personal grudge, possibly with intra-Muslim sectarian overtones.

They describe the bloody attack on tailor Kanhaiya Lal as 'an act of terror'.

Downing Street says the prime minister's recommendation that Nusrat Ghani make a formal complaint was not taken up.

The ban would mean that nobody could cover their face completely in public – whether in shops or the open countryside, although exceptions will be made for places of worship.

HRW says police, prosecutors and courts have been placed under pressure to 'deliver swift and harsh punishment' in the name of counter-terrorism, causing many to be imprisoned without committing any genuine offence.

A nine-member Federal Court bench delivered its 7-2 majority ruling today.

#Boycott Tanishq trended all day on Twitter, with many demanding a ban on the advertisement.