ASIA/PAKISTAN - Blasphemy law becomes a trap and a business: accusations organized for the purpose of blackmail and extortion

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - There is a criminal group that makes a business out of framing innocent people with false accusations of blasphemy. The organization uses the blasphemy law as a trap and as a business for blackmail, which has already affected 450 innocent victims. This is what Christian and Muslim lawyers in Pakistan are complaining about, who have been observing a cluster of similar cases in recent months: young people, regardless of their religion, are tricked and then accused of blasphemy online, leading to arrest, detention and formal accusation of blasphemy, which in Pakistan can also mean life imprisonment or the death penalty.
As the Catholic lawyer and MP Khalil Tahir Sandhu tells Fides, the families of those falsely accused of blasphemy, together with their legal representatives, recently held a public conference to expose the mechanism, raise the alarm and demand targeted intervention by the police and judicial authorities. The fraud has shaken many families, who are now calling on the government and the judicial authorities to ensure justice for those wrongfully detained.
The case was also officially confirmed by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), which conducted an independent investigation and described the activities of an organization that criminally exploits blasphemy for its own benefit and traps innocent people for extortion. The NCHR report shows that most of the victims belong to low-income or middle-class families. According to the information, more than 450 people have been victims of these accusations, all of which are fabricated.
More than 150 people are detained in Adiala Jail, 170 in Lahore Jail and Kot Lakhpat Jail and 55 in Karachi Central Jail. The lawyers raise serious concerns about the integrity of the legal system and the rule of law, noting that “these cases are clearly baseless and if this practice is not stopped, it will leave an indelible stain on the judiciary.” “This practice raises serious doubts about the transparency of our judicial system. There is an urgent need to set up a transparent and impartial commission of inquiry to investigate and dismantle the organized group responsible for this conspiracy,” said Sardar Mushtaq Gill, lawyer and founder of NGO Legal Evangelical Association Development (LEAD). The way it works is this: Young men are made aware of girls through Facebook and other social media platforms. They are then invited to join WhatsApp groups for personal conversations. They start chatting and the girls gain their trust. Later, the girl sends a message with a blasphemous image or writing. The unsuspecting victim asks for an explanation. The girl pretends not to know what it is about and asks to send the message back. Once this is done, the girl immediately blocks the victim and sets a trap for him, accusing him of sharing blasphemous content online. To make matters worse, some young defendants have died in custody due to torture. This, according to the lawyers, indicates a collusion between officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the federal agency that is supposed to shed light on the criminal practices. There are also lawyers who defend the plaintiffs in court and put pressure on the judges. In Pakistan, monitoring groups such as the Legal Commission on Blasphemy Pakistan (LCBP), a network of 13 organizations that claim to be "taking a firm stand against online blasphemy". According to observers, the network is linked to the radical Islamic political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Lawyers and members of non-governmental organizations are calling for investigations into these circles to uncover criminal activities. "This alarming abuse of religious laws has become a terrible tool of extortion and raises serious concerns about the security and rights of all citizens," said lawyer Sardar Mushtaq Gill. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 30/1/2025)

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