On what Pakistani lawyers called “huge hope,” the Federal High Court on Tuesday (July 15th) directed the government to establish an investigation committee within 30 days to investigate blatant abuse of the blatant law.
Islamabad High Court (IHC) Judge Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan ordered the formation of the body to investigate the widespread misuse of strict laws that were strengthened by General Ziaul Hak in the 1980s to beat Muslim groups and protect Muhammad’s perceptions.
Judge Khan issued the order after hearing a lawsuit involving multiple blasphemous asp cases involving allegations of repeated patterns of abuse. The families of more than 100 victims of false and blasphemous cases alleged that officials, such as anti-blas forces officers, lawyers, and other officials in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FIA) cybercrime section, conspiracy to share innocent people covered in honey to share content that would later be considered a blessing.
They alleged that those who refused to pay were charged under the blasphemous law and exposed to vigilante violence. Over the years, several individuals accused of a blasphemous Asp have been outrageously killed by Muslim extremists, according to various research groups.
The Islamabad High Court petition was first filed in September 2024, and the court held at least 42 hearings before issuing instructions to the federal government on Tuesday to establish a committee of inquiry within 30 days. The High Court judge said the committee must complete the investigation within four months, but said it could request an extension from the court if necessary.
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) recorded 701 cases of blasphemy between 1947 and 2021, with 1,415 cases being charged and 1,308 men and 107 women being recorded. At least 89 people have been killed and 30 have been injured in the related violence. Among those killed were 72 men and 17 women.
The data showed a sharp increase in cases revised in 1986, introduced by HAQ, which made blasphemy a capital crime. Prior to these changes, only 11 cases had been reported to have three people killed.
In its latest report covering the period from October 2023 to July 2024, the National Human Rights Commission has issued an alarm about a surge in blasphemous accusations allegedly facilitated by lockdowns via pornographic and profanity websites.
“The findings of the investigation highlighted a troubling trend: a rapid increase in registrations of blasphemous cases, most of which were launched by the FIA cybercrime unit.
The committee linked the rise in lawsuits to the implementation of the Electronic Crime Prevention (Amendment) Act of 2018, noting that young men were targeted through confinement tactics involving female operatives with fake identities that lured them into blasphemous activities online and led to subsequent arrests.
“This pattern, which has escalated significantly over time, calls for a comprehensive review of the roles and accountability of both the government and private companies involved in such cases,” the report states.
The report also stated that 11 profanal cases were reported in 2020, with nine in 2021, 64 in 2022, 213 in 2023 and 767 in July 2024. Victims of false blasphemy include people of all faiths, but most of them are Muslims.
Data compiled by the CRSS showed that those accused of the blasphemous Asp between 1947 and 2021 included 947 Muslims and 421 non-Muslims, but the faith of 47 was unknown. Of the non-Muslims, 225 were Christians, followed by 174 Ahmadis, 20 Hindus, one Sikh and a Buddhist.
In one of the most famous cases, Punjab Governor Salman Tazer was assassinated by his own security guard in 2011 after publicly calling for reform of the laws of the blasphemy Asp.
During hearing Tuesday, the court also raised concerns about Ismail’s “lost failure” and the alias “Iman” in Komal. She is said to have been used to hunt down several people accused of inspiring them.
Komal went missing in November, two months after the petition was filed. The court previously ordered blocking her national identity card and barred her from leaving after not appearing in court.
“Her life could be at risk. What can (government) agencies take on such situations?” Justice asked, expressing concern about her safety.
“Ray of Hope”
The lawyer representing the petitioner said the Islamabad High Court verdict gave hope to innocent victims of the blasphemous law.
“This is a great hope and it’s the first time my family felt they’ve heard,” attorney Imaan Mazari Khazar, who represented some of the families of the arrested men and women, told reporters after the hearing. “Hundreds of young people have been misbounded in cases of sensitive nature that lasts forever, even if they are innocent.”
Another petition lawyer, Hadi Ali Chatosa, told the media after the ruling that the proposed committee between the FIA and Muslim lawyers behind the surge in blasphemous cases wanted to expose Nexus.
“The lawyers at the ‘Blasphemy Business Group’ have tried their best to destroy the minutes of the case, but we are grateful to the judge for wisely dealing with this sensitive matter,” he said.
Chatta said his team filed a warrant petition with the Islamabad High Court based on a report from the special branch of Islamabad police.
“We have moved through the High Court for instructions to establish a High Power Inquiry Committee to investigate the special branch report,” he said. “In response to a notice from the High Court, through an additional Attorney General on January 31, the federal government said the government is concerned about reporting gang activities and is ready to establish a committee, but on the way forward, guidelines from the High Court are needed.”
The judge recommended that the committee include retired Supreme Court or High Court judges who are retired senior officers of the FIA who understand the issue and are information technology experts. Chattha added that service judges by law were not part of the investigation as they were not a judicial investigation.
On February 28, the Attorney General notified the court that the government was unable to find suitable members for the committee due to the sensitivity of the matter, he said.
“On the other hand, members of the profanity business gang told the court that they were opposed to the establishment of a committee because the court had not given the opportunity to explain their case,” Chatta said. “The judge told them to record their statement before the committee, but they insisted that the court should hear them.”
The judge granted their request, but ordered the lawsuit to be broadcast live on YouTube for information for the public, he said.
“Their lawyers now argue that they are not given the opportunity to present their case, but the fact is that all their advice has given them enough time to discuss their case, and then we were told to file a rebuttal,” he said. “Now that court has given it, they are trying to spread the word that they weren’t given the opportunity to speak. That’s against the truth.”
Commenting on the four months given to the committee to investigate the issue, Chattha said he hopes the investigation will be completed at the prescribed time as relevant data is now available.
A 2024 report by the Punjab police found that “suspected gangs were locking up young people in cases of a blasphemous asp,” and found that economic benefits could be motivated.
The Legal Committee on Blasphemous Pakistan (LCBP) is reportedly the most active legal group of lawyers in Pakistan prosecuting young men. Sheraz Ahmad Farooki, one of the group’s leaders, told AFP in October that “God chose them for this noble cause.”
Although not carried out for Pakistan’s blasphemy in recent years, several young people have been convicted and sentenced to death.
“We fully support the Probe Committee and we are confident that our voices will eventually listen, our concerns will be heard and our truth will come out,” a relative of one of the suspects who requested anonymity due to the fear of backlash told AFP.
With a Muslim population of over 96%, Pakistan ranked 8th on the 2025 World Watchlist, where it is the hardest place to become a Christian.
