A Pakistani court has sentenced a cleric to life imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl, a court official said on Saturday.

Additional district and sessions court judge Khalid Bashir handed down the life imprisonment to Qari Attiqur Rehman on Friday for raping the minor two years ago in Toba Tek Singh district, over 20km from Lahore, the official said.

According to the prosecution, the victim went to the seminary of her village where Bilqis Bibi, an accomplice of Rehman, lured the girl to his chamber. The cleric raped her and left her at a deserted place where she was spotted.