At least 329 people were accused of blasphemy under the law in 2023, according to the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), an advocacy group based in Lahore. Among those indicted, 247 were Muslims, 65 were Ahmadis, 11 were Christians, and one was Hindu, while the religious affiliation of five others was unknown.
At least 329 people were accused of blasphemy under the law in 2023, according to the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), an advocacy group based in Lahore. Among those indicted, 247 were Muslims, 65 were Ahmadis, 11 were Christians, and one was Hindu, while the religious affiliation of five others was unknown.
There has been a spike in blasphemy allegations in recent years, according to Lahore High Court attorney Lazar Allah Rakha.
Due to the risks attached to blasphemy cases, judges tend to adjourn hearings, which results in prolonged incarceration of suspects, which Rakha said is a severe violation of their human rights.
“The entire system needs to be reviewed in the larger interest of justice,” said the attorney, who has successfully defended many people falsely accused of blasphemy.
Punjab Province had the highest number of people accused of blasphemy, with 179, followed by 79 in Sindh Province, 37 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 32 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the CSJ report.
It added that seven persons accused of blasphemy were killed extrajudicially in 2023, including four in Punjab and one each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Azad Jammu Kashmir.
Reportedly, 95 blasphemy suspects were killed extrajudicially between 1994 and 2023. The only conviction and sentencing for such killings was that of Mumtaz Qadri, who was executed in February 2016 after assassinating former Punjab Gov. Salmaan Taseer in January 2011.
At least 2,449 persons have been accused of committing blasphemy between 1987 and 2023, according to the CSJ report. The highest number of accused by religion were 1,279 Muslims (52 percent), followed by 782 Ahmadis (32 percent), 291 Christians (12 percent), and 45 Hindus (2 percent), while the religion of other (2 percent) was unconfirmed.
The highest number of cases by area was 1,770 in Punjab Province (72 percent), followed by 471 in Sindh (19 percent), 99 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (4 percent), 55 in Azad Jammu Kashmir (2 percent), 35 in Islamabad, 12 in Balochistan and seven in Gilgit Baltistan.
The CSJ cited data from the Punjab Prison Department revealing that as of Feb. 13, there were 587 prisoners confined for blasphemy under sections 295-A, B, and C of the Pakistan Penal Code in jails across the province. Among these, 515 are under trial, including 508 males, six females, and one juvenile prisoner.
The CSJ further urged the incoming government to establish a commission of inquiry under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act of 1956. This commission should be tasked with investigating the misuse of blasphemy laws and determining the scale and motives behind such cases so that justice is served and innocent lives are protected.
The report stated, “It is crucial to address the root causes of these issues and to promote a culture of tolerance and social harmony in Pakistan.”
CSJ Executive Director Peter Jacob said there is an urgent need to develop and implement short-term and long-term strategies to counter growing religious intolerance in Pakistani society.
Jacob, recently awarded the U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Award, said that each manifestation of such intolerance should be taken seriously.
In October, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights was informed that 179 people were under detention and facing trials across the country on charges of blasphemy, while 17 had been sentenced. The findings were submitted to the Senate panel by the National Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (NHRC).
Earlier, Sen. Walid Iqbal, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, had sought details of blasphemy cases from the NCHR during a meeting called days after the Aug. 16 attack in Jaranwala, when a violent mob destroyed church buildings and dozens of Christians’ houses and businesses over allegations of blasphemy.