Threats, official silence stall Pakistan blasphemy probe
Federal investigative agency too refused to share information, says rights commission
Updated: May 24, 2025 02:25 AM GMT
Pakistan’s leading human rights watchdog has reported that an investigation into the misuse of the country’s blasphemy laws has been halted due to threats from religious zealots and a lack of cooperation from state agencies.
On May 21, Hans Mashhood, a lawyer representing the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that state agencies, particularly the Federal Investigation Agency, had been “completely uncooperative” in the investigation.
During the live-streamed hearing, Mashhood said that the rights commission’s staff had also faced threats from religious zealots and that the commission had suspended the investigation.
Since the agency initiated the investigation in 2023, some individuals had approached “our offices and even chased a staff member” who was attempting to gather information. This resulted in the agency filing a police complaint, he told the court.
The court was hearing a petition from 101 families who claim their relatives have been falsely accused of blasphemy.
Their petition, filed in September 2024, urged the court to appoint a judicial commission to investigate whether a gang, alleged to be misusing the blasphemy law, was responsible for these allegations.
Lawyer Usman Waraich, who represented some victim families, told UCA News that the rights commission has been made a respondent in the plea as it has already been investigating the misuse of blasphemy laws.
The court also sought a response from the Punjab police, which reported in January 2024 for the first time on a “blasphemy gang” exploiting Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws to entrap victims for ransom.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan questioned the rights commission’s abrupt suspension of the year-long investigation. However, he also acknowledged the safety concerns of the rights commission staff.
The judge proposed establishing a new commission comprising senior judges and officials to continue the rights commission’s investigation.
The rights commission’s data shows an increase in the number of people imprisoned on charges of blasphemy.
As of July 25 last year, 767 people were imprisoned on blasphemy charges. The number was 213 in 2023, 64 in 2022, nine in 2021, and 11 in 2020.
While most victims are Ahmadiyya individuals, who belong to an Islamic sect that is declared non-Muslim in Pakistan, a considerable number of Christians and Hindus are also among the victims.
“Despite growing evidence, law enforcement agencies have refused to investigate organized blasphemy rackets operating with impunity,” said Joseph Jansen, a Christian and minority rights activist.
“These cases are rarely about religion — they’re about extortion, personal grudges, and sectarianism,” Jansen told UCA News.
Blasphemy remains an explosive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unverified accusations can provoke violent mobs that could attack and even lynch the accused. Insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad is punishable by death under Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
Even those perceived to be aiding and protecting those accused of blasphemy could face violence.
In February, senior journalist Munizae Jahangir faced death threats and a hate campaign on social media after she hosted families of alleged blasphemy victims on her popular television show.
Jansen expressed concern over the failure of law enforcement agencies to address the misuse of the blasphemy law.
Laws need to be reformed, and officials should be held accountable to end the misuse of blasphemy laws. “Innocents, imprisoned because of false and politically motivated charges, must be released immediately,” the minority rights activist said.
“The international community also cannot remain silent as these grave injustices continue unchecked,” he said.
